SACRAMENTO — Kahlaijah Dean and Isnelle Natabou each recorded double-doubles and the Sacramento State women’s basketball team never trailed in a 67-45 win over UC Davis on Tuesday night at the Golden1 Center.
The Hornets improved to 3-1 on the season and picked up their first win in the series since 2015. The start is the best for Sacramento State since it opened the 2018-19 campaign with the same record thanks to wins over Cal Poly, Illinois, and Antelope Valley. UC Davis, held to its fewest points in the rivalry since 2008, evened their record at 2-2.
Dean finished the game with 12 points and a career high 11 rebounds to notch her first double-double as a Hornet. She finished the game 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 at the line and also added a team-high tying four assists.
Natabou posted her second double-double of the young season behind a dominant first quarter. The post player scored 11 of her 13 points in the opening 10 minutes. She also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds.
Sacramento State also received a career-high 13 points from Benthe Versteeg and had three others score at least seven points in a balanced effort.
Meanwhile, the defense was outstanding, holding the Aggies to just 28 percent shooting for the game — including a 24 percent clip in the first half — and just 1-of-14 (.071) from beyond the arc. The 28 percent is the lowest by a Hornet opponent this season and the lowest against a Division I opponent since Eastern Washington shot .270 on March 5, 2005.
The Hornets got off to a quick start, outscoring the Aggies 21-10 in the first quarter. In that period, Sacramento State made 7-of-12 shots and got to the free throw line seven times, making five. Natabou was 4-of-4 from the floor and added three free throws on four attempts. The team pushed its advantage to 36-18 at the break as Hornets doubled up UC Davis in the second quarter, 16-8. Despite having five fewer field goal attempts, Sacramento State finished the opening half with seven more baskets than the Aggies, including a trio of three-pointers.
UC Davis increased its pressure in the third quarter forcing Sacramento State into seven turnovers and holding the Hornets to 4-of-13 from the field. The Aggies rode the hot hand of Evanne Turner who scored 11 of her 25 points in the quarter to cut the Hornet lead to 46-33.
Sacramento State erased any hopes of a UC Davis comeback as the team scored the first five points of the fourth quarter with a three from Madison Butcher and two free throws from Natabou. The Aggies got as close as 16 points on two occasions only to have the Hornets answer each rally. A driving layup from Dean which resulted in a three-point play pushed the team’s advantage to 21 with 3:19 remaining.
The 21-point margin of victory was the largest against an NCAA Div. I opponent in Mark Campbell’s tenure at Sacramento State. It also avenged a 75-46 setback last season against the Aggies at Golden 1 Center resulting in a 50 point swing in favor of the Hornets.
Sacramento State will next compete at the Holiday Beach Classic in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Hornets will start the tournament against host Cal Poly on Friday, Nov. 25, at noon. The team will then face UTEP on Saturday.
