BOISE, Idaho — Junior Natalie Picton shared game-high honors with 15 points and senior Fatoumata Jaiteh added her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the Sacramento State women's basketball could not connect from the field in the fourth quarter, falling to top-seeded Idaho by a 59-51 score in the semifinals of the Big Sky Conference Tournament on Tuesday afternoon at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho.
The Hornets finished the season with a 15-18 overall record and 8-10 in their final season in the Big Sky. Sacramento State, which moves to the Big West Conference for the 2026-27 season, matched last season's overall win total while posting back-to-back years with 15-or-more wins for the first time since 2013-15.
Reaching the semifinals of the league tournament for only the fifth time in school history, the Hornets' eight wins in league play were the most since they won the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles in 2022-23.
Led by 15 points from Hope Hassmann, Idaho improved to 28-5 overall and won its 17 consecutive game. The Vandals will face either No. 2 Montana State or No. 6 Eastern Washington in the championship game on Wednesday (March 11).
Picton, who finished with 19 points in her team's tournament opening win over Idaho State on Monday, finished in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games, hitting six shots from the field in just over 39 minutes.
Jaiteh, who had four double-digit scoring games and a pair of double-digit rebounding totals this season, finally put those together for her first double-double of the season, hitting 4-of-6 from the floor — including a pair of three-pointers — and adding four steals in 32 minutes.
Senior Benthe Versteeg, who set the school record with her 127th career game played, added nine points, four rebounds, and three assists, eclipsing 600 career assists in the process. She finished her Hornet career as one of only seven players in the school's Division I history to score 1,000 career points and grab 500 career rebounds.
Down five at the end of the first quarter, Idaho used a 9-0 from the end of the opening period through the midway point of the second to go up by 12 before Sacramento State caught fire. Versteeg nailed a jumper that sparked a 13-0 run by the Hornets, which included five points from Picton and a pair of three-pointers by Jaiteh to erase the deficit and go up, 25-24, with 3:01 to play.
The Vandals scored the final six points of the quarter to lead by five at the half and then hit the first basket of the third quarter to go back up by seven before Sacramento State threw another punch. A 12-4 spurt by the Hornets capped by a Jaety Mandaquit three-pointer put them back in front and the two teams traded blows from there.
Neither side led by more than three points and a basket inside by Keanna Salave'a with 18 seconds to play made it a one point game headed to the fourth.
Sacramento State's defense kept the game within reach as the Hornets limited Idaho to just 2-of-9 from the field in the final 10 minutes — including no field goals over the final seven minutes, but the Vandals made their living at the line scoring 10 of their 15 points in the period at the stripe to hold off upset-minded Sacramento State squad.
Meanwhile, the Hornets managed only two field goals and six free throw attempts (making four) in the final quarter as Idaho advanced.
