PORTLAND, Ore. — Junior guard Natalie Picton finished with a team-high 17 points to lead four Hornets in double figures, but the Sacramento State women's basketball could not get the game-tying basket to fall as time expired on Saturday afternoon, falling to host Portland State by a 64-62 score at Viking Pavilion.
With the defeat, the Hornets dropped their second consecutive contest by single digits, falling to 11-13 overall and 5-6 in Big Sky Conference play to stand in sixth place in the league table. The Vikings snapped a nine-game losing skid with the victory, improving to 6-17 overall and picking up their second win in conference play, moving to 2-9 in the Big Sky.
Picton recorded her third-straight double-digit scoring performance, adding four rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the process. Sophomore guard Rubi Gray added 16 points, including a quartet of three-pointers, senior guard Benthe Versteeg chipped in 14 points and three rebounds, and senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh contributed 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Gray's total put her in double figures for the third straight game and the 18th time in her last 21 outings, while Jaiteh tied her season-high scoring output with her 12 points on 5-of-11 from the field — her highest single-game scoring total since putting up 12 points against UC Davis back on Nov. 24.
Redshirt freshman Jaety Mandaquit finished with a career-high four steals to go with four rebounds, while junior Keanna Salave'a had three blocks to go with four boards.
In a game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes, Sacramento State trailed by as many as eight points with two-and-a-half minutes gone in the fourth quarter, but quickly found their way back. Jaiteh converted a PSU turnover into a bucket to spark a 10-4 burst that turned the eight-point deficit into a one possession game with 5:17 remaining before a three-pointer by Gray and a basket inside by Salave'a gave the Hornets their first lead of the contest since the midway point of the third period.
A 7-2 spurt by the Vikings rebuilt the home team's lead back to four points with 91 seconds remaining in regulation, but Sacramento State rallied once again. A three-pointer by Picton made it a one-point game and the Hornets were down just two following a missed Portland State free throw and an offensive rebound that was thrown away and stolen by Mandaquit.
The Hornets drew a foul at the other end on the break, but it did not lead to free throws, giving them the ball out of bounds with 5.1 seconds to go. Following a timeout to draw up the final play, Jaiteh found room inside for a lay-up, but her left-handed hook shot rolled off the front of the rim as time expired.
Portland State shot 50 percent from the field — including a 67 percent clip in the second half and 7-for-9 in the final quarter after being held to just 38 percent in the first 20 minutes. Sacramento State finished at just under 40 percent for the game, but hit 53 percent in the final 10 minutes to help power its comeback attempt.
The Hornets held a narrow, 33-32, advantage on the glass, but the Vikings dominated the paint, outscoring the visiting side by a 42-26 count.
After playing their last four games on the road — including a run of three games in five days — Sacramento State returns home for a pair next week, hosting Northern Colorado on Thursday (Feb. 12) at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Northern Arizona on Saturday (Feb. 14) for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
