<p><b>SACRAMENTO, Calif. —</b> The Sacramento State women's basketball team goes in search of its second-ever Big Sky Conference Tournament title this week, making the trip to Boise, Idaho, for the league's 2026 postseason event at Idaho Central Arena.<br />
<br />
The Hornets are the tournament's No. 5 seed and will face No. 4-seeded Idaho State in the quarterfinals on Monday (March 9) at 11 a.m. PT in a rematch of the regular season finale. This year's tournament begins on Saturday (March 7) with the opening-round games and runs through Wednesday's (March 11) championship tilt.<br />
<br />
<b>GAME #32</b><b><i><br />
Big Sky Conference Tournament Third Round</i><br />
WHAT:</b> #5 Sacramento State (14-17, 8-10 Big Sky) vs. #4 Idaho State (19-10, 12-6 Big Sky)<br />
<b>WHEN:</b> Monday, March 9, 2026<br />
<b>TIME:</b> 11 AM PT<br />
<b>WHERE:</b> Boise, Idaho<br />
<b>ARENA:</b> Idaho Central Arena<br />
<b>WATCH:</b> <a href="https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/cb905312-bf02-41ad-927c-932c685dca0a">ESPN+</a><br />
<b>LIVE STATS:</b> <a href="https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=653947">BigSkyConf.com</a><br />
<b>TOURNAMENT CENTRAL:</b> <a href="https://bigskyconf.com/tournaments/?id=671">BigSkyConf.com</a><br />
<b>GAME NOTES:</b> <a href="https://hornetsports.com/documents/2026/3/6/25-26-WBB-notes-BigSkyTournament-030726.pdf">Sacramento State</a> | <a href="https://isubengals.com/sports/womens-basketball">Idaho State</a> | <a href="https://bigskyconf.com/sports/wbball">Big Sky Conference</a><br />
<br />
<b>WE'LL DO IT LIVE!</b><br />
• Every game of the Big Sky Tournament will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform, with the championship game, shown live on ESPNU<br />
• Live stats will also be available for all conference tournament games<br />
• Links will be available on the women's basketball schedule page as soon as they are available<br />
<br />
<b>HORNET DUO EARNS ALL-BIG SKY HONORS</b><br />
• Senior guard
Benthe Versteeg was named to the All-Big Sky second team while sophomore guard
Rubi Gray picked up honorable mention honors according to a vote of the coaches<br />
• Versteeg earned her third career All-Big Sky honor, becoming only the fifth Hornet to earn three All-Big Sky awards in a career, joining a group that includes Julie Wastell (1995-99), Kim Sheehy (2004-07), Kylie Kuhns (2009-13), and Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15)<br />
• Gray's award is the first of her career<br />
<br />
<b>LOCK DOWN DEFENDER</b><br />
• In addition to her all-conference honor, Versteeg was also named to the Big Sky's All-Defensive Team for the third time in her career<br />
• She has been named to the All-Defensive Team in all three years of the award's existence and is one of only two players (Idaho State's Kacey Spink) to be named to the team all three years<br />
<br />
<b>HORNETS IN THE TOURNEY</b><br />
• Sacramento State has qualified for the Big Sky's postseason event for the 15th straight season and the 19th time since joining the league in 1996-97<br />
• The Hornets are a combined 10-17 in Big Sky Tournament play and have won five of their last seven after sweeping through the field in 2023 en route to the title and going 1-1 in each of the last two seasons<br />
• Sacramento State has qualified for a bye into the quarterfinals for only the second time in the history of the program -- the first coming in 2023 en route to the school's first tournament title<br />
• The Hornets have reached the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament four times: 2012 (lost to No. 1 Idaho State), 2013 (lost to No. 1 Montana State), 2015 (lost to No. 4 Northern Colorado), and 2023 (defeated No. 7 Portland State)<br />
• Sacramento State is 4-7 in the quarterfinal round<br />
<br />
<b>HOW "SEED" IT IS</b><br />
• Sacramento State's No. 5 seed in this year's tournament is its highest since the Hornets entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed during their championship run in 2023<br />
• Since 1997, Sacramento State has been a No. 5 seed on two previous occasions, falling to No. 4 Idaho State in overtime (78-76) in the 2009 quarterfinals, while beating the Bengals (73-60) and falling to top-seeded Montana (74-53) in 2013<br />
• The Hornets were a No. 8 seed in each of the last two seasons, winning their opener both times before falling in the second round<br />
• Sacramento State has been a top-three seed only three times: No. 3 in 2010 (lost in the quarterfinals), No. 2 in 2015 (falling in the semifinals), and No. 3 in 2023 (won the championship)<br />
<br />
<b>HORNETS AGAINST THE FIELD</b><br />
• Sacramento State swept both Eastern Washington and Montana, while splitting the regular season series against Idaho State, Weber State, Portland State, and Northern Arizona<br />
• The Hornets were swept by Idaho, Montana State, and Northern Colorado<br />
• It was feast or famine against the Vandals, Bobcats, and Bears as Sacramento State had three of those games decided by four points or fewer (two of those at home) while the other three were decided by 13 points or more<br />
• The Hornets have faced all nine of the other schools in tournament play following the first-ever postseason meetings against Idaho and Portland State in 2023<br />
• Monday marks the fifth all-time meeting in the tournament between Sacramento State and Idaho State, with the series tied at two wins apiece<br />
• The Hornets won the last meeting between the two programs, posting an opening-round 73-55 win over the Bengals in 2024<br />
• Prior to that, the two hadn't met since a 73-60 Sacramento State win in the quarterfinals in 2013<br />
• All-time in the tournament the Hornets are 1-0 against both Idaho and Portland State, 3-1 against Eastern Washington, 1-2 against Montana, 1-3 against Montana State, 1-5 against Northern Arizona, and 0-2 against both Northern Colorado and Weber State<br />
• Sacramento State is also 1-1 in tournament play against former member Southern Utah<br />
<br />
<b>SO, WE MEET AGAIN</b><br />
• This year marks the first time in the program's history that the Hornets will meet the team they faced in the regular season finale in their opening-round Big Sky Tournament game<br />
• It is one of two such rematches in this year's tournament as Portland State and Weber State will meet for the second-straight game after the Wildcats ended the year with an 81-52 win over the Vikings on Monday<br />
<br />
<b>ABOUT THE BENGALS</b><br />
• Idaho State enters the tournament with a 19-10 overall record and a 12-6 mark in Big Sky play, finishing a game behind Northern Colorado for the No. 3 seed in this week's tournament<br />
• The Bengals have split their last six games, with the first win in that stretch serving as the last victory in a five-game winning streak for ISU<br />
• Idaho State has played twice on a neutral court this year, defeating Portland by a point and falling to LMU by 19 at the Bank of Hawai'i Classic in late November<br />
• Following the Hornets' win on Monday, the Bengals fell to second in the league in scoring defense (60.6 ppg) and still rank among the top three in field goal percentage defense (2nd), three-point percentage defense (2nd), rebounding defense (1st), turnovers forced per game (3rd), and steals (3rd)<br />
• Graduate guard Tasia Jordan leads the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg after finishing with 17 points in the regular season finale against the Hornets<br />
• Junior forward Piper Carlson is second on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and leads the team at 8.1 rpg, shooting .515 from the floor following an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double on Monday<br />
• Junior guard Alyse Aby, averaging 6.4 ppg entering last Monday's game, led the Bengals with 20 points and is averaging 6.9 ppg<br />
<br />
<b>SERIES NOTABLES</b><br />
• Idaho State leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 48-14<br />
• Monday's win over the Bengals snapped a brief two-game skid in the series for the Hornets and avenged a 61-46 loss to ISU back on New Year's Day earlier this year<br />
• 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<br />
• That followed a stretch that saw Idaho State win nine straight games in the series from 2017-21<br />
• 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<br />
• Following Mondays triumph, only five of Sacramento State's wins (5-24) in the series have come in Pocatello -- the last on Jan. 23, 2025 with a 72-63 triumph<br />
• The Hornets have now won four of their last five games on Idaho State's home court after losing four straight<br />
• Since losing the first 19 trips to Pocatello, Sacramento State is 5-5 on the road against the Bengals since 2016<br />
<br />
<b>LAST TIME OUT</b><br />
• Four players finished in double figures and the Hornets torched the Big Sky's top defense en route to an 85-72 victory over Idaho State on the road on Monday night in Pocatello<br />
• Sophomore guard
Rubi Gray finished with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-11 from the field -- five of those makes from beyond the arc -- to post her fifth-straight double-digit scoring performance and her fifth game with 20-or-more points<br />
• The backcourt of senior guard
Benthe Versteeg and junior
Natalie Picton contributed 18 points apiece, combining to hit 14-of-29 (.483) from the field and grabbing five rebounds each<br />
• Versteeg also added seven assists<br />
• Junior
Keanna Salave'a was the fourth player in double figures, adding 10 points and grabbing six rebounds <br />
• Sacramento State never trailed by more than three points as the Hornets used a 13-2 run -- powered by 71 percent shooting -- to lead by 12 points after one and they held a nine-point advantage, 47-38, at the break.<br />
• Idaho State never got closer than six on two occasions in the third quarter the rest of the way as another 13-2 burst by the Hornets early in the fourth built the lead to 21 points and essentially put the game away<br />
<br />
<b>NOT A MATTER OF IF, BUT "WIN"</b><br />
• Sacramento State's eight conference wins this season are the most in Head Coach
Aaron Kallhoff's tenure and the most since the Hornets finished 13-5 in 2022-23 en route to a share of the Big Sky regular season title<br />
• The 14 wins overall are one shy of last year's 15-win season<br />
• Should Sacramento State win its tournament opener on Monday, the Hornets will post back-to-back seasons with at least 15 wins for the first time since the 2013-14 (18-12) and 2014-15 (18-16) campaigns<br />
<br />
<b>POINT(S) TAKEN</b><br />
• Sacramento State's 85 points in the win over Idaho State marked a season high and were the most for the Hornets against a Division I opponents since they scored 88 in a loss to Idaho back on Feb. 22, 2020<br />
• At the other end, that same point total was the most scored against the Bengals this season and the most surrendered by Idaho State since Montana State put up 94 against them on Jan. 15, 2025<br />
• The Bengals entered the night with the Big Sky's best scoring defense at 59.7 ppg this season<br />
<br />
<b>SHOOTING THAT SHOT LIKE 2K</b><br />
• Sacramento State shot 53.8 percent from the floor overall and 50 percent from beyond the arc in Monday's win<br />
• It was the best single-game shooting percentage against a Division I opponent this season and the best since the Hornets shot 56.6 percent against Kansas City on Dec. 4, 2024<br />
• Meanwhile, the 14 three-pointers were also a season high and the most since Sacramento State drained 17 against Montana State on Feb. 23, 2023<br />
<br />
<b>DON'T WORRY, WE GOT THIS</b><br />
• Thanks to four players in double figures, Sacramento State's starting five accounted for 76 of the team's 85 points against the Bengals<br />
• It's a new season-high point total for the Hornets' starting five and the most since the starters scored 76 against Northern Arizona in the 2023 Big Sky Tournament championship game<br />
• Monday's performance came just four days after the starting five scored all 75 of the team's points against Montana on Feb. 26 -- the first time that a Sacramento State starting five accounted for 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 the Lumberjacks in the second round of the 2025 Big Sky Tournament<br />
• Over the last 10 games, the Hornets have relied heavily on their starting five, which has accounted for 557 of the team's 643 points (86.6 percent) in that stretch<br />
• 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<br />
• Hornet starters have accounted for 50-or-more points in nine of the last 13 games and 17 times overall this year<br />
• In those 17 games, Sacramento State is 12-5<br />
• It also marked the sixth time this season that the Hornets had four-or-more players finish in double figures, improving to 4-2 in those games<br />
<br />
<b>CONTINUING TO CLIMB</b><br />
• With 18 points at Idaho State on Monday, Versteeg solidified her hold on the No. 12 spot on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,185 career points<br />
• Having passed both Emily Christensen (2007-12) and Seleta Ellis (1979-83) earlier last week, Versteeg is now 30 points behind Sue Digitale (1973-77) for the No. 11 on the list<br />
• 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<br />
• She became the first Sacramento State women's basketball player to accomplish the feat since Summer Menke did so in 2022<br />
• The senior reached the mark on a right-handed floater with 3:06 remaining in the second quarter against the Vandals<br />
<br />
<b>BUCKET GETTERS</b><br />
• With Gray having already surpassed the 400-point plateau for the season, two other Hornets are close to the mark heading into the conference tournament as Picton needs 20 more and Versteeg is 23 points shy<br />
• Should one of them make it, Sacramento State would have its first duo with 400-or-more points in a season since Kahlaijah Dean (685) and Isnelle Natabou (522) in 2022-23<br />
• Should both Picton AND Versteeg accomplish the feat, it would be the first time that the Hornets would have three players score at least 400 points in the same year<br />
• With her total, Gray became the 30th player to score more than 400 points in a single season in the program's Division I era<br />
<br />
<b>ON A SCALE OF ONE TO 10...</b><br />
• 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<br />
• Her 456 field goals moved her past Emily Christensen (2007-12) for ninth on the all-time list, needing 11 more makes to match Karen Littleton (1975-79) for eighth place<br />
• Versteeg's 172 steals passed Kris Karley (1994-97) and Stephanie Cherry (2003-07) for ninth, standing one behind Adella Randal-El (2014-16) and Wastell for seventh and two behind Sarah Stapp (1992-96) for sixth<br />
• Her 125 appearances are now tied with Maranne Johnson (2014-18) and Margaret Huntington (2012-17) for second, needing to take the floor just once to tie Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15) for the most in school history<br />
• With her start at Portland State, Versteeg became only the fourth Hornet to start 100 career games and, now, with 107 career starts, is in sole possession of second behind Hilliard's record of 117<br />
• Versteeg has also now played the most recorded minutes by any Hornet with 3,971 after passing Kylie Kuhns (3,804 from 2009-13)<br />
<br />
<b>HISTORIC HELPING HANDS</b><br />
• Thanks to her seven helpers at Idaho State on Monday, Versteeg now has 593 career assists to her name, moving her past the Montana duo of Skyla Sisco (587 from 1994-98) and Mandy Morales (587 from 2005-09) for seventh in Big Sky history<br />
• That mark is 43 assists shy of Northern Arizona's Sade Cunningham (2005-09), who holds sixth place with 637<br />
• 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<br />
<br />
<b>WELCOME TO THE CLUB</b><br />
• 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<br />
• The senior, who ranks second on the team with 158 boards this season, has 498 caroms to her name during her Sacramento State career<br />
• With two more rebounds, she would be only the seventh in the program's Division I history to have 1,000 points and 500 rebounds<br />
• 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<br />
<br />
<b>DELICIOUS DISH</b><br />
• Thanks to her seven-assist performance at Idaho State, Versteeg has posted five-or-more assists in 17 of the team's 31 games<br />
• Her total of 147 assists and her 4.74 assists per game puts her atop the Big Sky in both categories entering the tournament, while ranking No. 34 and No. 53 in the NCAA, respectively, as of March 3<br />
• With her nine assists against Montana State on Feb. 28, Versteeg set a new season high in the category, eclipsing her previous best of eight set on Feb. 19 against Eastern Washington<br />
• That was 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<br />
• Monday's performance was her 36th career game with seven-or-more assists -- all of those coming in the last two-plus seasons<br />
<br />
<b>STAYING ACTIVE</b><br />
• Versteeg's 593 career assists have her ranked No. 8 among active Division I players, trailing Texas' Rori Harmon (928), while her career average of 4.74 apg is No. 14 among active players as of March 3<br />
<br />
<b>WHO'S NEXT?</b><br />
• After Versteeg surpassed the 1,000 career-point plateau, our eyes turn to another Hornet also making her way toward the milestone<br />
• Picton enters the weekend needing 163 points to reach the mark, accumulating 837 points in her three-year collegiate career -- including a career-high 380 this season with Sacramento State<br />
<br />
<b>MISS CONSISTENT</b><br />
• Gray's 24-point performance at Idaho State continued a stellar season for the sophomore, who has hit for 10-or-more points in a game in 24 of her last 28 -- including 11 straight from Nov. 12 to Jan. 1<br />
• Of those 24 double-digit performances, Gray has reached 20 points now five 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 Northern Arizona on Jan. 15<br />
• The high-scoring sophomore has finished with double-digit points in each of her last five games, averaging 17.2 ppg (nearly three points above her overall season average), shooting .446 (29-for-65) from the floor overall, .417 (15-for-36) from beyond the arc, and .929 (13-of-14) from the line<br />
• Of those 24 points (on 8-of-11 shooting) against ISU, 19 of those came in the first half and 12 of those were in the second quarter alone -- the eighth time this year that she has scored 10-or-more points in a single quarter<br />
• Overall, Gray has been limited to single digits only seven times this year with the Hornets posting a 3-4 record in those contests<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP?</b><br />
• If there was a Most Improved Player in the league, the Hornets'
Rubi Gray may just have an inside track on the trophy<br />
• Gray continues to lead the Hornets with 457 points this season -- the most points by a Sacramento State sophomore since Hannah Friend finished with 525 in 2017-18<br />
• Entering the tournament, Gray ranks among the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring (6th), total points (5th), field goals made (6th), three-pointers made (2nd), three-pointers per game (2nd), and minutes per game (7th)<br />
• Last season, Gray appeared in all 33 games for the Hornets, but averaged just 2.3 ppg in just over 13 minutes per game, shooting .355 from the floor and just over 31 percent from three-point range<br />
<br />
<b>IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, CRASH THE GLASS</b><br />
• Junior
Keanna Salave'a has done just that over her last six games, averaging 7.2 rpg in that stretch -- nearly two boards better than her overall season average of 5.8 rpg<br />
• Of her 43 total rebounds in that stretch, Salave'a has 23 of those on the offensive end, extending her team lead in the category to 85<br />
• Those 85 make up nearly half of her team-high total of 175, ranking sixth in the Big Sky in that category heading into the tournament<br />
<br />
<b>DRAWING THE LINE</b><br />
• Did we jinx it? We jinxed it, didn't we?<br />
• Gray entered Monday at Idaho State with another lengthy run of success at the free throw line, having made 13 consecutive attempts dating back to a miss at Montana on Jan. 31<br />
• The sophomore hit her first two to make it 15 straight before missing the front end late in the second quarter to snap her streak<br />
• Gray's streak was tied for the second-longest of the year by a Hornet, joining Picton's run of 15 consecutive makes from Nov. 12 against UC San Diego to Dec. 17 at San Francisco earlier this year<br />
• Versteeg also had a run of 13 straight from Jan. 15 against Northern Arizona to Feb. 2 at Weber State<br />
• 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<br />
<br />
<b>NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH</b><br />
• But there are such things as free points and Salave'a was happy to take advantage on Monday at Idaho State<br />
• The junior finished with 10 points and six rebounds, including a perfect 8-for-8 at the line that tied teammate
Fatoumata Jaiteh (at Eastern Washington on Feb. 19) for the best performance by a Hornet at the stripe this year<br />
• Salave'a's eight makes from the line were just one shy of her collegiate high of nine set against Montana State-Northern on Feb. 22, 2024, while she was with the University of Providence in Great Falls, Mont.<br />
<br />
<b>AND I'M THREEEEE... THREE FALLIN'</b><br />
• 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 in the Big Sky in makes entering this week's tournament<br />
• Gray, who has 74 makes from beyond the arc, and Picton, who has 61 of her own, are two of nine in the league with 50-or-more three-pointers made<br />
• The duo is now the top sharp-shooting tandem in the Big Sky entering the postseason, combining for 135 makes to edge out the NAU duo of Naomi White and Audrey Taylor, who have combined for 132<br />
• Picton's 61 makes from beyond the arc are a career high, far surpassing the 31 she drained while with Montana State last year as a sophomore<br />
• Meanwhile, Gray's 74 makes are the most by a Hornet since Kahlaijah Dean (78) in 2022-23<br />
<br />
<b>SEND IT BACK!</b><br />
• Thanks to the team's two swats against Montana State, the Hornets' 106 blocked shots this season make this year's squad the eighth to reach the century mark in a single campaign in school history<br />
• This year's Sacramento State team is now four blocks back of the 2010-11 team for seventh on the school's all-time list<br />
• Entering the tournament, Sacramento State ranks third in the Big Sky with its 106 blocks -- one of only four schools in the league with more than 100 along with Idaho (136), Weber State (118), and Montana State (103) -- and fourth at 3.42 blocks per game<br />
• 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<br />
• 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<br />
• 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<br />
• Individually, Salave'a ranks tied for eighth in the league with her 26 swats<br />
<br />
<b>"PIC"-POCKET</b><br />
• Picton has been in the pockets of opposing offenses all season, posting multiple steals in 21 of 29 games -- including 10 games with three or more<br />
• She enters this week's contests ranked tied for sixth with 66 steals overall and sixth at 2.28 spg in the Big Sky<br />
• Her four steals at Northern Arizona (Jan. 15), marked her fifth game with at least four swipes in a game this season<br />
• Her 66 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<br />
• Picton's total this year surpassed her single-season career best of 57 set as a sophomore at Montana State<br />
• 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)<br />
<br />
<b>NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T</b><br />
• 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<br />
• 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<br />
• Having logged a steal in 16 of her last 18 games, Mandaquit is averaging 1.83 spg in that stretch, while posting multiple steals in nine of her last 14<br />
• Of her 40 steals, 33 of those have come during that 18-game stretch<br />
• Just ahead of her, Versteeg is second on the team with 43 steals -- just six shy of her total (49) from all of 2024-25<br />
<br />
<b>FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION</b><br />
• Sacramento State rolled out the 12th different starting lineup this season at Idaho on Feb. 21<br />
• Versteeg and Gray are the only two Hornets who have started all 31 games thus far this year<br />
• 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<br />
• In all, 11 of the 13 Hornets who have seen time on the floor this year have started at least one game<br />
<br />
<b>IN THE MARGINS</b><br />
• 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<br />
• It was only the fifth victory by nine points or fewer and the first since a 64-57 triumph at Montana on Jan. 31<br />
• The remaining nine 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)<br />
• 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<br />
• 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</p>