SACRAMENTO — Off to the best start in school history and riding a six-game winning streak overall, the Sacramento State women’s basketball team puts it first-ever 3-0 start in Big Sky Conference play on the line in Greeley, Colo., on Thursday (Jan. 12) traveling to Northern Colorado for a 5 p.m. PT tip-off from the Bank of Colorado Arena.
GAME #15
WHAT: Sacramento State (12-2, 3-0 Big Sky) at Northern Colorado (8-7, 1-3 Big Sky)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023
TIME: 5 p.m. PT
WHERE: Greeley, Colo.
VENUE: Bank of Colorado Arena
WATCH: ESPN+ (https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401473983?gameId=401473983)
LIVE STATS: UNCBears.com (https://uncbears.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary)
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IN THE RANKINGS: For the second consecutive week, the Sacramento State women’s basketball stands among the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, entering this week’s games ranked No. 22 in the nation — up two spots from last week’s debut (https://collegeinsider.com/womens-mid-major-top-25). It is the highest ranking in that poll for the Hornets 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. This season, Sacramento State has been listed for seven consecutive weeks, making its debut among those receiving votes on Dec. 1 and remaining there for five consecutive weeks until coming in at No. 24 on Jan. 3.
NATABOU ON MID-MAJOR AWARD WATCH LIST: One season after showing she’s one of the best in the West, junior post Isnelle Natabou is garnering national attention heading into the 2022-23 campaign, named as one of 25 players to the watch list for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats on Oct. 19. The first Big Sky Conference student-athlete ever to be named to the list for this particular award, Natabou is joined by 24 of her peers on the initial watch list and is only one of four from the West Coast named to the list along with Gonzaga’s Brynna Maxwell, Portland’s Alex Fowler, and San Francisco’s Ioanna Kimili. For more details, read the complete release on HornetSports.com.
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.
KAHLAIJAH DEAN… THE THIRD: Coming off a pair of lights-out performances in the scoring column, senior guard Kahlaijah Dean has been named the Big Sky Player of the Week for a third time this season on Jan. 10, averaging 28.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in wins over Idaho and Eastern Washington, shooting just over 51 percent from the field and 89 percents from the line in the two games.
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. 10, a Hornet has now been named Big Sky Player of the Week five times in the last eight weeks (Isnelle Natabou took home honors on Nov. 29 and Dec. 13, while Dean won twice on Nov. 22 and Dec. 27) — the most of any school in the league this season. The five awards matches the 2012-13 squad for the most in a single season since the Hornets joined the league in 1996-97.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO…: Dean becomes the first Hornet women’s basketball player to win Big Sky Player of the Week honors three times in the same season, while her three career awards makes her one of only 10 Sacramento State players to win multiple awards in a career. Her three honors trail only the four career awards claimed by Kylie Kuhns (2009-13), Alle Moreno (2010-14), Fantasia Hilliard (2011-15), Maranne Johnson (2014-18), and Natabou.
ABOUT THE BEARS: Northern Colorado enters the week with an 8-7 record overall and a 1-3 mark in Big Sky play… The Bears have lost their last three straight following road losses at Montana and Montana State last week, but are 6-1 at home this season… Junior guard Hannah Simental leads UNC in scoring at 16.2 ppg, shooting 44 percent from the floor and 45 percent from beyond the arc… Junior forward Delaynie Byrne is also in double figures, averaging 12.1 ppg and leading the Bears on the glass at 7.7 rpg.
SERIES NOTES: Northern Colorado leads the all-time series with Sacramento State by a 21-11 count, but the Hornets swept the regular season series from the Bears last season with a 69-62 win at home and a 65-55 victory on the road… The two wins snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series for Sacramento State dating back to 2016… The Hornets are just 3-12 on the road against the Bears, losing five straight until last year’s win.
PUTTING THE “K” in 1K: A picture is worth 1,000 words, but senior guard Kaylin Randhawa is now worth a 1,000 points in her career following her performance in the win over Eastern Washington. The Turlock, Calif. native finished with 17 points (more on that later), pushing her past the 1,000-point plateau in her collegiate career, which included 524 points in three years at Pacific, 345 points last year at Utah State, and 135 points this season with the Hornets.
THE BEST AROUND: Nothing’s ever gonna keep them down. The Hornets are off to their best start in school history at 12-2 overall, breaking a deadlock with the 2013-14 squad that opened 11-1 before losing its next three consecutive games. Included in that start, three straight victories to start Big Sky Conference play — the first time since Sacramento State joined the league in 1996-97 that the Hornets have opened conference play with a 3-0 record.
NOT IF, BUT WIN: Sacramento State earned its 12th triumph of the season with its victory against Eastern Washington, moving to within two wins of last year’s 14-16 overall record. The Hornets have now posted double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since they went six straight years with 10-or-more victories from 2011-17.
OH, YES, THEY CALL IT A STREAK: Saturday’s win over Eastern Washington extended Sacramento State’s winning streak to six games overall, giving the Hornets 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 while posting runs of eight consecutive victories from Jan. 4-29 and six straight wins to end the year from Feb. 5-18.
STREAKY STATS: Over the course of their last six victories, the Hornets are averaging 69.1 ppg and 36.0 rpg, shooting .457 (144-for-315) from the floor. At the other end of the court, the Sacramento State defense has clamped down, allowing just 58.0 ppg and 26.7 rpg while holding opponents to .397 (125-for-315) shooting from the floor — including a .247 (20-for-81) clip from beyond the arc.
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.
HOME, SWEET HOME: Sacramento State’s win over Eastern Washington on Saturday improved the Hornets to 5-1 at The Nest this season, including wins in each of their last five contests. The five-game winning streak is its longest since the end of the 2014-15 season, which included a WNIT second-round victory over the Eagles as the fifth victory in that stretch.
ROAD WARRIORS: The win at Portland State on New Year’s Eve improved the Hornets to 7-1 in games played away from the friendly confines of The Nest and 5-1 in true road games this season. The five road wins are just two shy of last year’s total (7-7), which were the most since the 2015-16 team also won seven games away from home.
EIGHTY IS GREATY: The 82 points scored in the win over Eastern Washington was a season high, surpassing the 73 points scored in a victory over Santa Clara on Nov. 14. It was also the most by a Sacramento State squad since the Hornets posted an 82-76 win over the Eagles back on Jan. 28, 2021.
LET’S GO HALVSIES: Sacramento State blistered the nets in its win over EWU, shooting .521 from the floor — including a season-best single-quarter mark with a .778 clip in the third period. The overall shooting night marked the fourth time this season that the Hornets have shot better than 50 percent from the field in a game and the first since shooting .525 at Cal Poly earlier this year on Nov. 25 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSE…: And your deficits closer. Sacramento State has not trailed by more than four points at any point during its recent six-game winning streak — that deficit coming midway through the third quarter against Idaho on Jan. 5. The Hornets’ largest deficit this season has been 14 points against San Diego State on Dec. 7, while they overcame and 11-point gap against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 19 en route to a 70-68 overtime victory.
ONE IS THE LONLIEST NUMBER: But 60 is the winningest number for the Hornets. Thanks to its 82 points in the win Saturday, Sacramento State improved to 12-0 this season when scoring 60-or-more points and 5-0 when topping the 70-point plateau.
31 FLAVORS: Fresh off a 26-point explosion against Idaho on Thursday, senior Kahlaijah Dean did herself five better on Saturday against Eastern Washington, finishing with 31 points to eclipse her previous Sacramento State career high of 28 points against Cal State Fullerton in the non-conference finale. The 31 points fell just three shy of Dean’s collegiate career best of 34 points set at Central Michigan on Dec. 7 of last season while at Oakland University and marked her fourth career 30-point game — three of those with the Golden Grizzlies.
20-20-20-20-20-20 VISION: Dean’s 31 points on Saturday marked her sixth game with at least 20 points this year and 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 was off doing Kahlaijah Dean things last week, notching her fifth and sixth 20-point performances of the year, draining double-digit baskets for the third and fourth times this season. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has now reached double figures in each of her last five games since being held to a season-low nine points against CSU Bakersfield, averaging 24.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 4.6 apg, while shooting 45 percent (39-for-87) from the floor and 88 percent (35-for-40) from the line during that stretch.
HERE’S A QUARTER: Of Dean’s 31 points against the Eagles, 10 of those came in the third quarter alone, marking the eighth time that the senior has posted double-digit points in a single quarter this season. Three of her eight double-digit quarters have come in the first period.
20 AND COUNTING: And the beat goes on. Natabou’s 13 points against Eastern Washington gave her double-digit points in her last 20 games dating back to last season, averaging 15.7 ppg (314 total) in that stretch while shooting .675 (137-for-203) from the field.
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 13-point, 15-rebound (her second-highest total of the year) effort in the win over Eastern Washington, Natabou collected her sixth double-double in her last eight games and her eighth of the season overall — ranking No. 15 in the NCAA in that category as of Jan. 9. In her eight double-double performances this year, the native of the Czech Republic is averaging 16.9 ppg, 13.5 rpg, and shooting 56-for-80 (.700) from the floor.
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 13 performances in the green and gold, the Bakersfield, Calif., native has brought her total up to 1,707 career points, ranking No. 25 among active scorers across the country as of Jan. 9 and posting a total that would rank third on Sacramento State’s all-time scoring list, passing Maranne Johnson’s 1,627 points from 2014-18 and trailing Heidi Carroll’s second-place total of 1,733 from 1982-86.
KAYLIN’S KILLING IT: Hitting double figures for the seventh time as a Hornet, senior Kaylin Randhawa came through in a big way to help the Hornets outlast Eastern Washington, finishing with 17 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line to stand as one of four Sacramento State players in double figures. The 17 points tied her Hornet career high set in overtime against UC Santa Barbara back on Nov. 19, when she hit five three-pointers and hit six baskets overall.
BUTCHER BOMBS AWAY: Freshman Madison Butcher had the biggest game of her brief career in the green and gold against Eastern Washington, finishing with a career-high 11 points thanks to three, three-pointers and a pair of free throws. It was the second-career double-digit scoring game of Butcher’s career, eclipsing her 10 points against UTEP on Nov. 26. The trio of triples were a career high, while she finished with three field goals in a game for the fourth time this year.
THE PENEUETA IS MIGHTIER: One of four players in double figures against Idaho, sophomore Katie Peneueta collected her third double-double of the year in the process, adding a career-high 11 rebounds against the Vandals, 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 shots against San Francisco State on Feb. 21, 1983.
THREE IS MORE THAN TWO: Trust us… Peneueta has certainly done the math. In 35 career games with the Hornets, the Vancouver, Wash., native has made a living from long distance, sinking 92 of her 100 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.
1-2 PUNCH: Dean (20.1 ppg) and Natabou (16.6 ppg) are one of only two teammate tandems to rank among the top 10 in the Big Sky in scoring, joining Weber State’s Daryn Hickock (17.4 ppg) and Jadyn Matthews (13.3 ppg).
FOUR!: One of the most consistent and reliable shot-makers in the nation, Natabou entered this week’s contests ranked No. 4 in the NCAA in field goal percentage, shooting .660 on the season to trail only Liberty’s Mya Berkman (.705), Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes (.684), and Ohio State’s Taylor Thierry (.667).
NO SLEEP TILL…: No rest for the weary for the Hornets as Natabou became the latest to go all 40 minutes in a game this season at Portland State — her third game this year playing all 40 minutes (or more) when you include the 43-minute performance in overtime against UC Santa Barbara and her 40 minutes against UTEP. It is the eighth time a Sacramento State player has played every minute, joining Benthe Versteeg’s 40-minute performance at Cal State Fullerton and Peneueta’s four games of 40 minutes or more (at Santa Clara, vs. UC Santa Barbara, vs. UTEP, 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 (36.1 mpg), Dean (35.9 mpg), and Peneueta (35.5). The trio ranks second, fourth, and fifth, respectively, in the league in minutes and entered the week ranked among the top 40 in the nation at 17th, 27th, and 34th, respectively.
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 the week with 475 boards, Natabou stands 95 shy of the all-time top-10 (Linda Simmons is 10th with 570 from 1977-81) and only 54 back of the Division I list (Emily Christensen is 10th with 529 from 2007-12).
BLOCKING IT OUT: Boasting the Big Sky Conference’s third-best scoring defense at 59.1 ppg allowed, the Hornets have also done work on the glass, holding opponents to a league-best 28.8 rebounds per game. The 21 rebounds by Idaho on Jan. 5 marked the fewest allowed by Sacramento State in its Division I history, while the 26 boards by EWU marked the 11th time in 14 games — and the sixth straight — that the Hornets have allowed fewer than 30 rebounds in a game this season.
PASSING THE CRASH TEST: Another double-digit rebounding perfomance for Isnelle Natabou is nothing new for the junior, who owns five of the top eight single-game rebounding performances in the Big Sky this season. Natabou enters the week ranked among the top 40 in the nation in three of the four major rebounding categories: offensive rebounds (10th), rebounds per game (17th), and total rebounds (31st).
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 17th-highest in the NCAA for a single-game — and the most of any Big Sky player — as of Jan. 9, and stands as one of only thirty 20-rebound games in the NCAA entering the week.
