In a battle of the top two teams in the Big Sky Conference, the Sacramento State women’s basketball team closes out its two-game two-step in the “Treasure State” on Saturday (Jan. 28), traveling to Bozeman, Mont., to take on league-leading Montana State at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon PT.
IN THE RANKINGS: After two weeks ranked among the top 25 in the College Insider mid-Major poll, Sacramento State slipped back into the ranks of those receiving votes for the second consecutive week (https://collegeinsider.com/womens-mid-major-top-25), picking up 54 votes to stand 26th… The Hornets made their debut in the top 25 back on Jan. 3 at No. 24, then jumped two spots to No. 22 in the Jan. 10 ranking… Those two rankings followed five consecutive weeks among those receiving votes beginning on Dec. 1… The No. 22 ranking on Jan. 10 was the highest for the program in the poll since they stood No. 22 on Feb. 11, 2014 — a season that saw them among the top 25 for eight consecutive weeks following an 8-1 start that year, reaching as high as No. 13 in early January.
NATABOU MAKES MID-MAJOR AWARD MIDSEASON CUT: Initially named as one of 25 players to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats back on Oct. 19, junior center Isnelle Natabou got word that she has made the midseason top-15 cut on Jan. 18. The first Big Sky Conference student-athlete ever to be named to the list for this particular award, Natabou is one of only four from the West Coast named to the list along with Gonzaga’s duo of Brynna Maxwell and Yvonne Ejim as well as Portland’s Alex Fowler.
NATABOU NAMED TO BIG SKY’S PRESEASON TEAM: In addition to her national honor, Natabou was also named to the seven-member preseason all-conference team, joining Montana State’s Darian White (who was selected the MVP), Idaho’s Beyonce Bea, Montana’s Carmen Gfeller, Northern Colorado’s Hannah Simental, Montana State’s Kola Bad Bear, and Weber State’s Daryn Hickock. The native of the Czech Republic became only the third Hornet to earn preseason all-league honors in the process, joining former standouts Kennedy Nicholas (2019-20) and Brianna Burgos (2016-17).
BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!: The accolades continued to roll in for Natabou, who was also named the Big Sky’s Preseason Player of the Year according to ESPN.com, which made its picks for all 32 Division I conferences on Oct. 25.
AGAIN? AGAIN.: Senior guard Kahlaijah Dean picked up another Big Sky Player of the Week Award on Jan. 24, averaging 29.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 62 percent from the field and 67 percent from three-point range in wins over Idaho State and Weber State. Read the complete release at HornetSports.com.
WHAT IS THE “JOUEUR DE LA SEMAINE?”: It’s the player of the week. That sounds good, we’ll have that. Thanks to Kahlaijah Dean’s award on Jan. 24, a Hornet has now been named Big Sky Player of the Week six times in the last nine weeks (Isnelle Natabou took home honors on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, while Dean won three times on Nov. 22, Dec. 27, and Jan. 10) — the most of any school in the league. The six awards as a team this year are a school record, surpassing the 2012-13 squad for the most in a season since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…: Dean became the first Hornet women’s basketball player to win Big Sky Player of the Week honors three times in the same season with her award on Jan. 10, while her four career awards makes her one of only 10 Sacramento State players in the program’s Division I history to win multiple awards in a career, tying her with Kylie Kuhns (2009-13), Alle Moreno (2010-14), Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15), Maranne Johnson (2014-18), and current teammate Isnelle Natabou, for the most in program history.
BIG (SKY) TIME: Dean’s four awards this year are the most by any Big Sky Conference student-athlete during a single campaign since Northern Colorado’s Savannah Smith took home the honor five times in a span of seven weeks during the 2018-19 season.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS: Montana State enters the week with a 14-7 overall record and a 7-2 mark in Big Sky play, standing a half game ahead of Sacramento State in the standings… The Bobcats have won five straight after taking down Portland State, 64-52, on Thursday, having not lost since an 85-80 decision against Northern Arizona on Jan. 7… MSU is 7-2 at home this season, winning three of the last four… Senior guard Darian White leads the team in scoring (12.2 ppg), rebounding (5.6 rpg), and assists (3.62 apg), while shooting .390 from the floor… Junior guard Leia Beattie (10.3 ppg) is the only other Bobcat in double figures.
SERIES NOTES: The Bobcats lead the all-time series with the Hornets, 43-12, having won the last nine straight — the longest winning streak by either team in the history of the series… Sacramento State’s last win in the series came on Feb. 8, 2018, posting an 88-77 victory at home… The Hornets are just 4-23 in Bozeman, losing their last eight trips dating back to a 69-65 victory on Dec. 20, 2012.
NOT IF, BUT WIN: Everything else is gravy in the win column for Sacramento State, which earned its 15th victory of the season against Weber State to close out a 2-0 week, already surpassing last season’s win total with 11 regular season games remaining. Its the most wins in a single season since the 2014-15 squad won 18 games, and stands just four wins away from the school record of 19 wins shared by the 1990-91 (19-7) and 2012-13 (19-12) teams.
BIG START IN THE BIG SKY: In addition to opening the conference schedule with a 4-0 record for the first time in school history, the Hornets’ 6-2 start in league play is also its best since the 2014-15 squad began the Big Sky slate with a 7-1 mark, losing its opener before winning seven straight.
THIS QUARTER IS WORTH 28: After surrendering a season single-quarter high 28 points in the first quarter to Montana, the Hornets quickly erased a nine-point deficit with a 28-point quarter of their own in the second — setting a season single-quarter high for scoring themselves. Sacramento State outscored the Grizzlies, 28-10, in the period, surpassing the 27-point first quarter against Fresno State on Dec. 3, while shooting 63 percent from the field. The Hornets finished the period with 10 makes from the floor and six three-pointers — the third time this season that they have hit 10 baskets (Fresno State & Portland State) and six three-pointers (Cal Poly & Northern Colorado) in a single quarter.
AND SCORING IS HALF THE BATTLE: Thanks to that 28-point second quarter, the Hornets finished the first half against the Grizzlies up 47-38 — the most in a first half this season and the most in ANY half since scoring 48 in the second half of a win at Northern Colorado back on Jan. 12. Thursday was the Hornets’ highest-scoring first half since a 57-point first at Weber State on Jan. 11, 2020.
NOT HALF BAD: Suffering only their second loss of the year when leading at the half on Thursday at Montana, the Hornets continue to put opponents in an early hole outscoring other teams by a 661-518 count compared to a 619-596 advantage after the break.
THREE’S FALLING: Everything was dropping from distance for the Hornets in the first half at Montana as they hit 10-of-18 from three-point range (.556) and finished with 13 overall — matching their season high set against UC Santa Barbara earlier in the year. It is the third time in the last five games that Sacramento State has hit double digits from downtown, shooting .432 (51-for-118) in that stretch with games of 12 makes at Northern Colorado and 10 more against Idaho State.
YOU’VE MADE YOUR POINT(S): Thursday’s 77-point effort at Montana marked the second-highest total of the year for the Hornets and the fifth time in the last seven games (eighth overall) that they have reached or surpassed the 70-point plateau after doing so just three times in the previous 12 contests.
SHOOTER!: Someone get a hand in the face of the Hornets. Sacramento State enters the weekend as one of the most efficient shooting teams in the Big Sky, leading the league in both field goal (.468) and three-point (.371) percentage, while ranking third in free throw (.778) percentage. The Hornets lead second-place Eastern Washington by 41 points in the field goal category, has a 17-point lead in three-point shooting over Portland State, and stands behind Northern Colorado (.793) and Montana State (.780) the line.
NOTHING BUT NET: In addition to the above rankings, the Hornets also stand among the top 25 in the NCAA in all three shooting categories, ranking 22nd in free throw, 15th in field goal, and 16th in three-point percentage as of Jan. 27. Sacramento State is one of four schools to rank among the top 20 in the nation in both field goal and three-point percentage, joining the likes of UConn (1st & 2nd), LSU (5th & 11th), and Iona (8th & 4th).
SAFE AT HOME: The Hornets are starting to make winning at home a habit as their victory over Weber State improved them to 7-1 at The Nest this season — including a seven-game winning streak. It is the longest home winning streak since Sacramento State opened the 2013-14 campaign with an 8-0 record en route to an 11-1 start overall, while the seven home wins are the most since the 2014-15 squad finished 11-3 within the friendly confines.
ROAD WARRIORS: The win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 was the Hornets’ sixth win in true road contests this season, standing just one shy of last year’s total (7-7) which were the most since the 2015-16 team also won seven games away from The Nest. The six road wins are tied with Montana State and Northern Arizona (as of Jan. 27) for the most in the league following Thursday’s games.
THIS IS 40: The Hornets shot 47 percent from the floor Thursday at Montana, marking the 16th time in 19 games that Sacramento State has topped that plateau this season — including five games above 50 percent and a 60 percent showing in the win at Northern Colorado on Jan. 12. On the flip side, the Hornets’ defense has held opponents to under 40 percent from the field 10 times, while the Grizzlies became the first team to shoot 50 percent against the Sacramento State defense in 2022-23.
NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH: But there are such things as free points, and senior Kahlaijah Dean is taking full advantage. Ranking 3rd in the Big Sky with 96 makes from the line and seventh with an .828 free throw percentage, Dean finished a perfect 7-for-7 at the line against Idaho State on Jan. 19 (her third “perfect” game with at least six attempts this year), and has moved her to within 16 makes of the school’s all-time single-season top 10 list (Shelby Boudreaux is 10th with 112 made in 1995-96) and 10 away from the program’s Division I top 10 (Julie Wastell with 106 made in 1998-99).
BUILDING BLOCKS: Thanks to her block on Thursday at Montana, Isnelle Natabou has held on to eighth place on the school’s all-time blocked shots list with 61, swatting 36 last season and adding 25 more this year. Her total passed Hannah Friend (2017-19) for the spot and trails Sephora Scoubes (1999-01) by six for seventh. Natabou isn’t the only one climbing the list as sophomore Katie Peneueta and her 50 career blocks — 29 of those this season — are just six shy of Atty Boyer (2005-09) and her 56 blocks for 10th.
BOXING OUT AND CLOSING IN: Following a year in which she grabbed the fourth-most rebounds in a single Hornet season, Natabou has her sights set on both the school’s all-time and Division I top-10 lists for career rebounds during her second year in the green and gold. Entering Saturday with 527 boards, Natabou stands 43 shy of the all-time top-10 (Linda Simmons is 10th with 570 from 1977-81) and only two back of the Division I list (Emily Christensen is 10th with 529 from 2007-12).
SCINTILLATING SOLAPE: Amusan lit up the Missoula night in the Hornets’ clash with Montana on Thursday, going for a collegiate-best 19 points on 6-of-11 from the field, adding four rebounds and block against the Grizzlies. The 19 points surpassed her previous collegiate high of 15 points against Northwestern as a member of Illinois in 2021, while the six three-pointers on Thursday were also a collegiate high and matched the six makes by Katie Peneueta vs. CSUN and Kahlaijah Dean vs. Weber State.
THAT’S A START: Since joining the starting lineup against Idaho State, Amusan is averaging 12.7 points per game while sinking nine of her 11 makes from beyond the arc, giving the Hornets another long-range threat on the perimeter.
AIR JORDAN: Senior Jordan Olivares had herself a night at Montana, finishing with season high’s in points (seven), assists (three), steals (three), and field goals made (three), while setting a new career high with eight rebounds — four on the offensive end.
SHE’S A WALKING BUCKET: It’s truly a sight to see. Dean’s 24 points at Montana on Thursday marked her 10th game overall — and her sixth in the last seven outings — with at least 20 points this year, while her 31 points against both Eastern Washington and Weber State were the most by a Hornet since Lianna Tillman finished with 35 at Idaho on Feb. 24 last season en route to Big Sky MVP honors.
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE: Kahlaijah Dean is still out there doing Kahlaijah Dean things, notching her 10th straight double-digit scoring performance with her 24-point night at Montana after being held to a season-low nine points against CSU Bakersfield. In that stretch, Dean has been a machine, averaging 24.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 4.1 apg, while shooting .480 (82-for-171) from the floor — including a run shooting .571 (16-for-28) from beyond the arc in the last four games after hitting just eight combined in the six games prior to that — and .894 (59-for-66) from the line during that stretch.
TWO FOR 30: No, it’s not the latest meal deal from your favorite sit-down eating establishment. Senior Kahlaijah Dean’s 31-point outburst in the win over Weber State not only tied her Sacramento State career high set against Eastern Washington back on Jan. 7, but made her the first Hornet to have two games of 30-or-more points since both Hannah Friend accomplished the feat three times and Maranne Johnson did it twice in the 2017-18 season.
THE DEAN OF SCORING: Dean brings with her a pedigree of knowing where the basket is, reaching the 1,000 career point milestone as only a junior at Oakland University and finishing her four years with the Golden Grizzlies with 1,425 points. Following her first 19 games in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,834 career points, ranking No. 22 among active scorers across the country as of Jan. 27 and posting a total that would rank second on Sacramento State’s all-time scoring list, trailing only the 2,064 points by Kristy Ryan from 1990-94.
QUARTER MASTER: Give Kahlaijah Dean 10 minutes and she’s going to do some damage. Give her four of those and watch out. The senior from Bakersfield, Calif., scored 11 points in the third quarter on Thursday at Montana, her 15th double-digit quarter this season out of 19 by a Hornet this year (Natabou has done it three times while Kaylin Randhawa accomplished the feat for the first time against the Grizzlies). Dean has accomplished the feat six times in the third, four times in the first, three times in the fourth, and twice in the second.
FOUR!: One of the steadiest shot-makers in the nation continues to rank among the top five in the country in an ever-changing national ranking for field goal percentage as Natabou enters Saturday at No. 4 in the NCAA. Natabou’s .656 from the field trails only Liberty’s Mya Berkman (.719), Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes (.682), and Iowa’s Monika Czinano (.662).
AND I’M REEEEEE…. RE-BOUNDING: With 10 rebounds at Montana on Thursday, Natabou posted her 11th double-digit rebounding performance of the season and her second straight after grabbing 18 as part of a double-double in a win over Weber State. Of her 10 rebounds against the Grizzlies, five came on the offensive glass — the eighth time this year that she has had as many, if not more, offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds. That included nine offensive boards against the Wildcats — tied for the second-most in her career and the most since she had 10 offensive rebounds as part of a career-high 22-rebound night at Portland State on Jan. 15.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARLING: Natabou is one of 24 players in the NCAA averaging a double-double (as of Jan. 27), but one of only seven to average at least 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds entering the weekend along with DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow (25.0 ppg-11.9 rpg), LSU’s Angel Reese (23.7 ppg-15.5 rpg), Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley (18.0 ppg-11.2 rpg), Youngstown State’s Lilly Ritz (17.5 ppg-10.9 rpg), South Florida’s Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (16.7 ppg-12.5 rpg), and BYU’s Lauren Gustin (16.0 ppg-16.4 rpg).
I DOUBLE DOUBLE-DOUBLE DARE YOU: Keep on eye on your box scores. If Isnelle Natabou has a double-double, you may be in trouble. Thanks to her 17-point, 18-rebound effort in the win over Weber State, Natabou collected her third double-double in her last five games and her 10th of the season overall — ranking No. 17 in the NCAA in that category as of Jan. 23. In her 10 double-double performances this year, the native of the Czech Republic is averaging 16.8 ppg, 13.6 rpg, and shooting 70-for-104 (.673) from the floor.
NINE TIMES? NIIIIINE TIMES.: Wake up and smell the coffee, Hornet fans, it’s already a record-setting season and we’re only halfway done. Sacramento State clinched its ninth non-conference victory of the season on Dec. 21 at Cal State Fullerton, breaking a tie with the 2013-14 squad (8-2 in non-conference games) for the most in the history of the program. Of the Hornets’ 11 non-conference opponents, seven finished with winning records and were a combined 64-50 (.561) in non-conference play. That kind of start bodes well for the Hornets, who won 18 games in 2013-14 — ranking tied for the third on the school’s single-season list.
OH, YES, THEY CALL IT A STREAK: The Hornets’ win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 extended Sacramento State’s winning streak to seven games overall — its longest since winning seven straight from Jan. 3-24, 2015 — giving them two winning streaks of at least six games in the same season for the first time in the program’s Division I history. The last time Sacramento State had a pair of six-game winning streaks in the same year came in 1984-85, when it won 14 of its last 15 overall, posting runs of eight consecutive victories from Jan. 4-29 and six straight wins to end the year from Feb. 5-18.
NO SLEEP TILL…: Foot on the pedal for the Hornets as Natabou and Dean became the latest players to go all 40 minutes in a game this season at Montana on Thursday in Missoula. It is the third time that two Sacramento State players have played all 40 minutes in a regulation game and the first since Benthe Versteeg and Katie Peneueta did so against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 21. For Natabou, it was her team-high fifth 40-minute performance of the year — and her second straight — while Dean posted her second, joining Katie Peneueta’s four games, and Benthe Versteeg’s game-long performance at Cal State Fullerton.
MINUTE WOMEN: Speaking of minutes, there haven’t been many players in the Big Sky — let alone the entire country — who have seen more time on the court this year than the Hornets’ Natabou (36.5 mpg), Peneueta (35.9 mpg), and Dean (35.3 mpg). The trio ranks second, fourth, and sixth, respectively, in the league in minutes and entered the week ranked among the top 60 in the nation at 19th, 31st, and 43rd, respectively.
BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky’s second-best scoring defense at 59.1 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done work on the glass, holding opponents to a league-best 28.2 rebounds per game. Sacramento State allowed only 21 rebounds to Idaho on Jan. 5, which stood as the fewest allowed by the Hornets in their Division I history for exactly a week until they gave up only 19 rebounds to Northern Colorado on Jan. 12. Thursday, Montana was held to just 28 rebounds, marking the 15th time in 19 games that Sacramento State has allowed fewer than 30 rebounds in a game this season.
PUTTING THE “KAY” IN 1K: A picture is worth 1,000 words, but senior guard Kaylin Randhawa is now worth more than a 1,000 points in her career following her performance in the win over Eastern Washington on Jan. 7. The Turlock, Calif., native finished with 17 points, pushing her past the 1,000-point plateau in her collegiate career, which includes 524 points in three years at Pacific, 345 points last year at Utah State, and 184 points this season with the Hornets.
THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us… Katie Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 37 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 97 of her 105 career field goals from behind the three-point line. At the media timeout of the second quarter on Nov. 22 against UC Davis, Peneueta’s previous 30 makes from the field had all been three-pointers until she posted up and found room inside for a lay-up at the four-minute mark of the period — her first two-point basket since scoring inside at Northern Arizona with 21 seconds left in a 76-62 victory on Feb. 3 last year — and she finished with a career-high three (out of four makes) two-pointers against Idaho on Jan. 5 as part of her third double-double this season.
THE PENEUETA IS MIGHTIER: One of four players in double figures against Idaho, sophomore Katie Peneueta collected her third double-double of the year, adding a career-high 11 rebounds, while hitting a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor. However, her most impressive performance may have been at the defensive end, where she finished with a career-high seven blocks — six of those against the conference’s leading scorer Beyonce Bea. The seven blocks are tied for third on the school’s single-game list and were the most since Kennedy Nicholas had seven at Weber State on Feb. 20, 2019. The record is held by Heidi Carroll, who swatted 10 against San Francisco State on Feb. 21, 1983.
PASSING THE CRASH TEST: Another double-digit rebounding perfomance for Isnelle Natabou is nothing new for the junior, who owns six of the top 11 single-game rebounding performances in the Big Sky this season. Natabou, whose 18 rebounds against Weber State are the second-most in the league this year (see below), enters the week ranked among the top 25 in the nation in three of the four major rebounding categories: offensive rebounds (10th), rebounds per game (18th), and total rebounds (22nd).
ARE YOU BOARD?: Natabou clearly wasn’t in the Hornets’ opener against UC Irvine, as her 20 rebounds were the most since she had 22 against Idaho in an overtime win on Jan. 22 last year and was her third career game with 20-or-more. Nationally, the 20-rebound performance is tied for the 20th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game — and the most of any Big Sky player — as of Jan. 27, and stands as one of thirty-nine 20-rebound games in the NCAA.
MIND THE GAP: The 32-point win over Northern Colorado on Jan. 12 marked the largest margin of victory in head coach Mark Campbell’s tenure, besting the 22-point win over UC Davis earlier this year. It was the program’s biggest win since a 59-point drubbing of NAIA member Pacific Union on Dec. 19, 2019, and the largest against a Division I foe since sinking Northern Arizona by the same margin in a 111-79 win over the Lumberjacks on March 4, 2016. Thus far, nine of Sacramento State’s 15 wins have been by double digits, while the 26-point win over Weber State on Jan. 21 marked the team’s fifth of 20-or-more points.
