SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State junior guard Natalie Picton was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament Team on Wednesday after helping lead the Hornets to a berth in the semifinals for only the fifth time in school history.
Picton became only the seventh different Hornet to earn an all-tournament spot, joining Emily Christensen (2012), Alle Moreno (2013), Adella Randle-El (2015), Kahlaijah Dean (2023, MVP), Isnelle Natabou (2023), and two-time honoree Benthe Versteeg (2024-25).
The native of Welland, Ontario, was the only all-tournament team member not to hail from one of the two championship competitors as tournament champion Idaho placed three and runner-up Montana State had a pair.
After helping the Hornets gain a berth into the quarterfinal round for only the second time in school history, Picton averaged 17.0 ppg and shot 42 percent from the field overall for Sacramento State, guiding the program to a win over Idaho State, 62-53, and a hard-fought loss to top-seeded Idaho, 59-51, in what was a one-point game with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
She finished with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-16 from the field in the win over the Bengals, adding three assists and a steal in 39 minutes. Twenty-four hours later, Picton shared game-high honors with 15 points against the Vandals to post her third-straight double-digit scoring game and her eighth in the last 10.
Wrapping up her first season as a Hornet, Picton finished second on the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg, while averaging 3.7 rpg and leading the team with 67 steals (2.16 spg). She shot 37 percent overall from the field and was second on the team with 66 three-pointers made while finishing in double figures 22 times.
She set a collegiate high with 27 points in a win over Simpson on Dec. 15 and added four more games with 20-or-more points. Picton also posted collegiate highs with nine made field goals (twice against Simpson and Weber State) and six three-pointers made (twice against UC Davis and Montana), while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds against the Grizzlies on Jan. 31.
Defensively, she finished with multiple steals in 21 of 31 games, including 10 games of three or more. H er 67 steals were the most by a Hornet in a single campaign since Maranne Johnson swiped 77 steals in 2017-18.
2026 BIG SKY CONFERENCE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Hope Hassmann, Idaho (MVP)
Debora dos Santos, Idaho
Kyra Gardner, Idaho
Taylee Chirrick, Montana State
Addison Harris, Montana State
Natalie Picton, Sacramento State
