SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The final game of the 2025-26 regular season will be played on the road as the Sacramento State women's basketball team heads to Pocatello, Idaho, on Monday (March 2) to take on Idaho State at 6 p.m. PT.
This is the third game in five days and the final tune-up for the Hornets before the start of next week's Big Sky Conference Tournament, which begins on Saturday (March 7) at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho.
GAME #31
WHAT: Sacramento State (13-17, 7-10 Big Sky) at Idaho State (19-9, 12-5 Big Sky)
WHEN: Monday, March 2, 2026
TIME: 6 PM PT
WHERE: Pocatello, Idaho
ARENA: Reed Gym
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: ISUBengals.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | Idaho State | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 34-60 mark and a 112-136 overall record in seven-plus seasons as a head coach
• Kallhoff claimed his 100th career win as a head coach in Sacramento State's 2025-26 season-opening win over Stanton University
• Seton Sobolewski is in his 19th year as head coach at Idaho State, posting a 305-252 record with the Bengals
BIG SKY BIG PICTURE
• The race for seeding will come down to the final game of the regular season as the Hornets are gunning for a bye into the quarterfinals with one game remaining
• Sacramento State is currently tied with Eastern Washington for fifth in the standings with a 7-10 record, but the Hornets hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Eagles by virtue of their regular season sweep, essentially placing them as the No. 5 seed entering the final game
• That means Sacramento State wouldn't open tournament play until Monday (March 9) against the No. 4 seed -- which, right now, is either going to be Idaho State or Northern Colorado
• The Hornets and Eagles lead seventh-place Northern Arizona (6-11) by a game
• Should the three (Sacramento State, EWU, and NAU) tie at the end of the regular season, the Hornets would be the higher seed by virtue of their 3-1 record against the other two
ABOUT THE BENGALS
• Idaho State enters the regular season finale with a 19-9 overall record and a 12-5 mark in Big Sky play, tied for third in the standings with Northern Colorado
• The Bengals defeated Weber State on Saturday (Feb. 28) by a 59-54 score in Ogden, Utah, to end a run of three-straight on the road
• Idaho State, which is 8-4 at home in Reed Gym this year, is playing at home for the first time since falling to Idaho on Valentine's Day and has won three of its last four on its home court
• The Bengals sport the league's best scoring defense (59.7 ppg) and rebounding defense (.310 rpg) while standing second in field goal percentage defense (.369) and three-point percentage defense (.292), as well as forcing the third-most turnovers per game (18.5 pg) in the league
• Graduate guard Tasia Jordan is averaging a team-high 15.1 ppg while shooting .434 from the field and averaging 5.3 rpg
• Junior forward Piper Carlson is also in double figures at 11.0 ppg and leads the team at 8.0 rpg while shooting .518 from the floor
• Senior guard Kacey Spink is averaging 9.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg while leading the team with 4.04 apg and 3.14 spg
SERIES NOTABLES
• Idaho State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 48-13
• The Bengals have won the last two meetings with the Hornets following a 61-46 win in Sacramento back on New Year's Day
• Prior to that, Sacramento State had won six of the previous eight head-to-head meetings from 2022-25, including three-straight wins at one point in that run
• That followed a stretch that saw Idaho State win nine straight games in the series from 2017-21
• The Bengals won the first 27 games in the series from 1997-2009 before the Hornets posted their first-ever win, 80-71, on Jan. 30, 2010
• Only four of Sacramento State's wins (4-24) in the series have come in Pocatello -- the last on Jan. 23, 2025 with a 72-63 triumph
• The Hornets have won three of their last four games on Idaho State's home court after losing four straight
• Since losing the first 19 trips to Pocatello, Sacramento State is 4-5 on the road against the Bengals since 2016
LAST TIME OUT
• Sophomore Rubi Gray led the team with 19 points on eight made baskets and had second-place Montana State in a one possession game in the final three minutes before falling, 61-54, in the team's home finale
• Senior Fatoumata Jaiteh added 10 rebounds and senior Benthe Versteeg added nine assists in the final home appearance of their careers
• The Hornets trailed by 13 at the start of the fourth and used a 10-0 run to claw back to within three with 6:02 left
• Later in the period, a clutch three-pointer by Natalie Picton had the Hornets with 52-50 with 3:40 to go and were within that margin a minute later, but could not find the tying score
• Montana State got a three-pointer by Jamison Philip for some breathing room and spark a 7-2 run to close the game
CONTINUING TO CLIMB
• With nine points against Montana State on Saturday, Versteeg solidified her hold on the No. 12 spot on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,167 career points
• Having passed both Emily Christensen (2007-12) and Seleta Ellis (1979-83) earlier last week, Versteeg is now 48 points behind Sue Digitale (1973-77) for the No. 11 on the list
• Versteeg became the 19th Hornet to collect 1,000 career points on Jan. 22 against Idaho after needing just two points to reach the plateau entering the day, finishing the game with a career-high tying 26 points against the Vandals
• She became the first Sacramento State women's basketball player to accomplish the feat since Summer Menke did so in 2022
• The senior reached the mark on a right-handed floater with 3:06 remaining in the second quarter against the Vandals
ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10...
• Aside from reaching the 1,000 career point milestone in a Hornet uniform, Versteeg has now etched her name among the program's best in a number of categories as we come down the stretch
• Her 449 field goals are now tied with Emily Christensen (2007-12) for ninth on the all-time list, needing 18 more makes to match Karen Littleton (1975-79) for eighth place
• Versteeg's 170 steals passed Kris Karley (1994-97) and Stephanie Cherry (2003-07) for ninth, standing three behind Adella Randal-El (2014-16) and Wastell for seventh
• Her 124 appearances are now fourth ahead of Kylie Kuhns (2009-13) and are one behind Maranne Johnson (2014-18) and Margaret Huntington (2012-17) for second
• With her start at Portland State, Versteeg became only the fourth Hornet to start 100 career games and, now, with 106 career starts, is in sole possession of second behind Fantasia Hilliard's (2011-15) record of 117
• Versteeg has also now played the most recorded minutes by any Hornet with 3,932 after passing Kylie Kuhns (3,804 from 2009-13)
NINE TIMES? NINE TIMES...
• She finished with only nine points against Montana State on "Senior Day", but Versteeg was quite busy helping her teammates get to the basket on Saturday, finishing with a season-high nine assists against the Bobcats
• The nine assists eclipsed her previous season high of eight set on Feb. 19 against Eastern Washington and marked her ninth game with six or more assists this year
• It was also her highest total since she finished with 11 in a victory over against the Eagles in the first round of last year's Big Sky Tournament
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• Having moved into ninth on the Big Sky's career assists list following her six-assist night against Montana last Thursday, Versteeg inched closer to moving up another spot in the top 10 with her performance Saturday against Montana State
• The nine assists gave her 586 helpers for her career, standing just one assist shy of matching the Montana duo of Skyla Sisco (587 from 1994-98) and Mandy Morales (587 from 2005-09) for seventh
• That mark is 50 assists shy of Northern Arizona's Sade Cunningham (2005-09), who holds sixth place with 637
• Versteeg's total remains second on the Sacramento State all-time list, trailing only record-holder Fantasia Hilliard -- whose 726 assists from 2011-15 rank second in league history -- on that chart
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
• After surpassing the 1,000 point plateau Versteeg became the 11th player in the program's Division I history with 1,000 career points and 400 (or more) rebounds
• The senior, who ranks second on the team with 153 boards this season, has 493 caroms to her name during her Sacramento State career
• With seven more rebounds, she would be only the seventh in the program's Division I history to have 1,000 points and 500 rebounds
• Other members of the 1,000-500 club include: Shelby Boudreaux (1,013-573), Emily Christensen (1,150-529), Maranne Johnson (1,627-535), Kylie Kuhns (1,504-1,234), Summer Menke (1,078-536), and Kristy Ryan, who had 1,729 points and 750 in three seasons at the Division I level, but ended her four years as a Hornet with 2,064 total points and 911 rebounds in her career
STAYING ACTIVE
• Versteeg's 586 career assists have her ranked No. 8 among active Division I players, trailing Texas' Rori Harmon (927), while her career average of 4.73 apg is No. 14 among active players as of Feb. 28
WHO'S NEXT?
• After Versteeg surpassed the 1,000 career-point plateau, our eyes turn to another Hornet also making her way toward the milestone
• Picton enters the weekend needing 181 points to reach the mark, accumulating 819 points in her three-year collegiate career -- including a career-high 362 this season with Sacramento State
AND I'M THREEEEE... THREE FALLIN'
• The 1-2 punch of Gray and Picton have been among the most consistent shooters from beyond the arc in the Big Sky this year, ranking second and sixth, individually, in makes entering this week's contests
• Gray, who has 69 makes from beyond the arc, and Picton, who has 59 of her own, are two of six in the league with 50-or-more three-pointers along with Northern Arizona's Naomi White (85), Weber State's Lanae Billy (64), Idaho's Kyra Gardner (62), and Northern Colorado's Heather Baymon (61)
• The duo is now the top sharp-shooting tandem in the Big Sky entering Monday's game, combining for 128 makes to edge out the NAU duo of White and Audrey Taylor, who have combined for 125
• Picton's 59 makes from beyond the arc are a career high, far surpassing the 31 she drained while with Montana State last year as a sophomore
• Meanwhile, Gray's 69 makes are the most by a Hornet since Kahlaijah Dean (78) and Katie Peneueta (71) in 2022-23
MISS CONSISTENT
• Gray's 19-point performance against Montana State continued a stellar season for the sophomore, who has hit for 10-or-more points in a game in 23 of her last 27 -- including 11 straight from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1
• Of those 23 double-digit performances, Gray has reached 20 points four times, including a career-high 26 points against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 and 26 more (to go with 11 rebounds for her first double-double) at NAU on Jan. 15
• The high-scoring sophomore has finished with double-digit points in each of her last four games, averaging 15.5 ppg (more than a point above her overall season average)
• Her eight makes against the Bobcats were the most since she made eight against Eastern Washington on Jan. 24, while the 19 points were the most since she finished with 19 in that same game against the Eagles
• Overall, Gray has been limited to single digits only seven times this year with the Hornets posting a 3-4 record in those contests
WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP?
• Gray continues to lead the Hornets with 433 points this season -- the most points by a Sacramento State sophomore since Isnelle Natabou finished with 440 in 2021-22
• Entering Monday's game, Gray ranks among the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring (7th), total points (6th), field goals made (t6th), three-pointers made (2nd), three-pointers per game (2nd), and minutes per game (7th)
SHE WAS "BOARD"
• So, senior Fatoumata Jaiteh decided to go out and grab a couple of rebounds against Montana State and, by a couple we mean a game-high 10 caroms off the glass
• The total was her second double-digit rebounding game of the season -- and her second in the last five games -- trailing only the 11 she had against Northern Arizona on Valentine's Day
• It was also the third double-digit rebounding performance of her career, trailing the 14 she had against Eastern Washington in 2023 while a member of the Lumberjacks' roster
• Over her last five games, Jaiteh is averaging 7.4 rpg while taking over the team lead with 6.1 rpg overall heading into Monday
DRAWING THE LINE
• Gray enters Monday with another lengthy run of success at the free throw line, having made her last 13 consecutive attempts dating back to a miss at Montana on Jan. 31
• Earlier this year, Gray hit 20 straight from the charity stripe from Nov. 28 to Jan. 3, ranking tied for the 12th-longest such streak in the program's Division I history
• Gray's current run is also tied for the third-longest streak by a Hornet this year, matching Versteeg's run of 13 straight from Jan. 15 against Northern Arizona to Feb. 2 at Weber State
• Picton also had a run of 15 consecutive makes from Nov. 12 against UC San Diego to Dec. 17 at San Francisco earlier this year
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, CRASH THE GLASS
• Junior Keanna Salave'a has done just that over her last five games, averaging 7.4 rpg in that stretch -- nearly two boards better than her overall season average of 5.8 rpg
• Of her 37 total rebounds in that stretch, Salave'a has 19 of those on the offensive end, extending her team lead in the category to 81
• Those 81 make up nearly half of her team-high total of 169 and those rank sixth in the Big Sky entering Monday's contest at Idaho State
SEND IT BACK!
• Thanks to the team's two swats against Montana State, the Hornets' 105 blocked shots this season make this year's squad the eighth to reach the century mark in a single campaign in school history
• This year's Sacramento State team is now five blocks back of the 2010-11 team for seventh on the school's all-time list
• Entering Monday, Sacramento State ranks third in the Big Sky with its 105 blocks -- one of only four schools in the league with more than 100 along with Idaho (133), Weber State (111), and Montana State (102) -- and fourth at 3.50 blocks per game
• Sacramento State rejected eight Northern Colorado shots on Feb. 12, setting a new season high and the most in a single contest since the Hornets blocked the same number at Northern Arizona on March 11, 2019
• That season (2018-19), Sacramento State blocked eight-or-more shots as a team six times, including a season-high nine against the Bears on Feb. 19
• Last year, the Hornets knocked down 114 shots, which ranked tied for fifth on the school's single-season list with the 2022-23 team
• Individually, Salave'a ranks seventh in the league with her 26 swats
"PIC"-POCKET
• Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 20 of 28 games -- including 10 games with three or more
• She enters this week's contests ranked tied for sixth with 64 steals overall and sixth at 2.3 spg in the Big Sky
• Her four steals at Northern Arizona (Jan. 15), marked her fifth game with at least four swipes in a game this season
• Her 64 swipes this year are the most by a Hornet since Maranne Johnson ended the 2017-18 campaign with 77 -- a total that ranks seventh on the school's single-season list
• Picton's total this year surpassed her single-season career best of 57 set as a sophomore at Montana State
• After setting her Hornet career high with five in the regular season opener against Stanton, Picton finished with back-to-back five-steal performances against San Jose State (Dec. 21) and Idaho State (Jan. 1)
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T
• Picton isn't the only one with the quick hands for the Hornets this year as redshirt freshman Jaety Mandaquit has been a menace on the defensive end in her first year with the program
• She is third on the team with 40 steals, including 13 games with two or more, setting her career high with four swipes at Portland State on Feb. 7
• Having logged a steal in 16 of her last 17 games, Mandaquit is averaging 2.0 spg in that stretch, while posting multiple steals in nine of her last 13
• Of her 40 steals, 33 of those have come during that 16-game stretch
DON'T WORRY, WE GOT THIS
• Thanks to four players in double figures, Sacramento State's starting five accounted for all 75 of the team's points against Montana on Feb. 26
• That's a season-high point total for the Hornets' starting five, which scored every point in a game for the first time since the quintet of Versteeg, Jaiteh, Martin, Katie Peneueta, and Lina Falk scored all 65 in a four-point loss to Northern Arizona in the second round of last year's Big Sky Tournament
• It also marked the most points by a starting five since they scored 75 points in an 82-66 win over the Lumberjacks on Feb. 15, 2024
• Over the last nine games, the Hornets have relied heavily on their starting five, which has accounted for 481 of the team's 558 points (86 percent) in that stretch
• That also includes 59 of the team's 62 points (95.2 percent) at Portland State (Feb. 7), an additional 58 of the team's 64 points (91 percent) in a win at Montana (Jan. 31), another 56 of 64 points (88 percent) against Weber State (Feb. 2), and 53 of 60 points (88 percent) at Idaho
• Hornet starters have accounted for 50-or-more points in eight of the last 12 games and 16 times overall this year
• In those 16 games, Sacramento State is 11-5
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• Sacramento State rolled out the 12th different starting lineup this season at Idaho on Feb. 21
• Versteeg and Gray are the only two Hornets who have started all 29 games thus far this year
• The 12 different lineups are believed to be the second-most among Big Sky schools this year behind the 13 different starting fives used by Northern Arizona
• In all, 11 of the 13 Hornets who have seen time on the floor this year have started at least one game
OUR FOUR POINT PLAN
• There may have been no better defensive effort this year for the Hornets than the one they turned in on Feb. 26 against Montana
• Sacramento State limited the Grizzlies to just 1-of-12 shooting from the field and four points in the fourth quarter of its 18-point win
• The four points allowed are the fewest by an opponent in a single quarter this year and the 15th time overall that the Hornets have surrendered single-digits in a quarter this season
• They were also the fewest since Sacramento State held Northern Colorado to just one fourth-quarter point in a 51-48 victory on Jan. 18, 2025
IN THE MARGINS
• Finally, a close one went the Hornets' way as their nine-point win over Eastern Washington on Feb. 19 snapped a run of four-straight losses by a combined 22 points -- all four decided by eight points or fewer
• It was only the fifth victory by nine points or fewer and the first since a 64-57 triumph at Montana on Jan. 31
• The remaining eight victories have been by 11 points or more, including five of those seven by 20-or-more points: Stanton (+85), Nevada (+20), Cal State Fullerton (+20), Simpson (+60), and Weber State (+21)
• Sacramento State's 60-point margin of victory over Simpson on Dec. 15 is the fourth-largest in the program's history, trailing the school-record 85-point win over Stanton earlier this year, a 71-point win over San Francisco State in 1974 and a 64-point victory against Stanislaus State in 1979
• If the ball bounces a different way a couple times, this season's record might look a little different as 10 of the team's 17 defeats have come by eight points or fewer, five of those by five points or fewer, and three of those by three points or fewer
