SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Winners of three straight games and five of its first six, the Sacramento State women's basketball team closes out a brief two-game homestand by welcoming Causeway rival UC Davis to Hornet Pavilion on Monday (Nov. 24) at 6:30 p.m.
GAME #7
WHAT: UC Davis (3-2, 0-0 Big West) at Sacramento State (5-1, 0-0 Big Sky)
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 24, 2024
TIME: 6:30 PM PT
WHERE: Sacramento, Calif.
ARENA: Hornet Pavilion
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: HornetSports.com
TICKETS: HornetSports.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | UC Davis | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 26-44 mark and a 104-120 overall record in seven-plus seasons as a head coach
• Kallhoff claimed his 100th career win as a head coach in Sacramento State's 2025-26 season-opening win over Stanton University
• Jennifer Gross is in her 15th season as head coach at UC Davis, posting a 261-168 record, winning five Big West Coach of the Year awards and leading the Aggies to five postseason berths (3 WNIT, 2 NCAA)
NEW NEST
• After spending most of its history playing at The Nest, both the Sacramento State men's and women's basketball teams transition its home contests to the Hornet Pavilion located inside The WELL, an on-campus fitness complex that has renovated a portion of the facility to serve as the new home of the Hornets.
• The venue will seat approximately 3,000 fans -- nearly tripling the capacity of The Nest
• It was a giant facelift for the facility featuring (among other enhancements): re-striping of all courts to include the game court, telescopic bleachers around the center court, two new video boards, LED ribbon boards, new scoreboards, a new sound system, removal and replacement of existing lighting, new press tables and courtside seats, and new branding promoting Sacramento State and the city of Sacramento
"BIG" NEWS FOR 2026
• The 2025-26 campaign marks the 30th -- and final -- season as a member of the Big Sky Conference for the Hornets, who announced plans to move to the The Big West beginning in 2026-27
• Sacramento State could possibly face four of its future league rivals this year: UC San Diego (Nov. 12), Long Beach State (Nov. 15), Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 21), and UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 29)
• Another league opponent -- Causeway rival UC Davis -- is also on the schedule (Nov. 24), but the Aggies are departing for the Mountain West Conference following this year
• The Big West will be the third conference for the Hornets in their Division I history after playing in the America West Conference along with Cal Poly, CSUN, and Southern Utah from 1994-96, and then joining the Big Sky in 1996-97
ABOUT THE HORNETS
• Sacramento State returns two starters and six letter winners overall off of last season's squad that finished 15-18 overall and 7-11 in Big Sky play
• The Hornets advanced to at least the second round of the conference tournament for the third straight season
• Bolstering the roster is a class of nine newcomers from across all levels of basketball -- a group that includes three Division I transfers, another from a prominent NAIA program, two from the junior college ranks, and three freshmen
• Record-setting senior guard Benthe Versteeg is the leading returning scorer after averaging 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while earning All-Big Sky first-team, Big Sky All-Defensive Team, and Big Sky All-Tournament honors for the second straight year
• Senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh also returns after starting 27 of her 30 appearances a season ago, averaging 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while finishing tied for second on the team with 45 steals
ABOUT THE AGGIES
• UC Davis enters Monday night's game with a 3-2 overall record, but has lost it's last two
• The Aggies fell at Stanford, 70-45, in their last game just a week after losing at Boise State on Nov. 14 by a 91-77 count
• UC Davis' last win with a 75-52 victory at Weber State on Nov. 12 and the Aggies are 2-0 against the Big Sky thus far, adding an 89-76 win over Idaho on Nov. 7
• In its final season in The Big West before moving to the Mountain West Conference for 2026-27, UC Davis was picked to finish third in the league behind Hawai'i and UC Irvine
• Senior post Megan Norris was one of seven players named to the preseason All-Big West team as voted on by the coaches
• Norris is one of four players averaging double-digit points (10.8 ppg) while leading the team in rebounding (9.8 rpg)
• Sophomore Ryann Bennett leads the team in scoring (18.4 ppg) and is shooting .485 from the field with a team-high 14 three-pointers
SERIES NOTABLES
• UC Davis leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 36-32
• The Aggies have won the last two meetings with the Hornets -- and eight of the last 10 dating back to 2014
• Sacramento State's last win in the series came on Nov. 20, 2024, by a 67-45 score at the Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento
• The Hornets haven't won an on-campus game since a 92-77 triumph in Davis on Dec. 13, 2015, and haven't won on their own floor since a 66-65 overtime win on Dec. 30, 2012
• Of Sacramento State's 32 wins in the series, 15 have come at home where the Hornets are 15-14
• The two programs have met every year since 2004 (save for the COVID-affected 2020-21 season)
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 93-107 against the current alignment of The Big West
• Monday's game marks the fourth in a run of four-straight contests against the conference, with after posting wins over UC San Diego (Nov. 12), Long Beach State (Nov. 15), and Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 21)
• The Hornets' win over UC San Diego snapped a two-game skid against Big West schools after going 2-2 against the league in 2024-25
• Sacramento State posted wins over UC San Diego (71-50) and Cal State Fullerton (67-40), while falling to Long Beach State (69-68) and UC Davis (75-45) last year
NOW "UC" ME
• Monday's game against UC Davis is the third of four possible contests against a University of California system school this season, having faced California (Nov. 9) and UC San Diego (Nov. 12)
• The Hornets have faced all seven of the system's Division I opponents, posting a 54-71 record against the Golden Bears (6-7), UC Davis (32-36), UC Irvine (6-7), UCLA (0-8), UC Riverside (4-9), UCSD (2-0), and UC Santa Barbara (4-4)
WELL... IT'S A START
• Thanks to its victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday night, Sacramento State opened with five wins in its first six games for the first time since the 2022-23 squad opened 6-1 en route to Big Sky regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance
• With their win over Cal State Fullerton last Friday, the Hornets also opened 3-0 at home for the second straight year and the fifth time in the program's Division I history: 2005-06 (5-0), 2012-13 (5-0), 2013-14 (8-0), 2024-25 (3-0), 2025-26 (3-0)
LONG TIME COMING
• For the second time this season, the Hornets ended a rather lengthy drought of wins against an opponent with their victory over Long Beach State on Saturday
• The win over The Beach was the first by Sacramento State in the series dating back to a 74-67 triumph in 2011
• Earlier this year, the Hornets put an end to a 30-year drought against Nevada with a 65-45 win on Nov. 6 -- their first since a 64-60 victory in 1995
• Although the Hornets have now won three of the last four against Cal State Fullerton, they won their first against the Titans at home on Friday in a series that dates back to the 1976-77 season
SHOOTING BLANKS
• Dating back to last season, Sacramento State's defense has held eight of its last nine opponents -- and 12 of its last 14 -- to under 40 percent from the field, including 28 percent by Northern Arizona in a 2025 Big Sky Tournament meeting
• Seven of those 13 opponents have made 20 (or fewer) field goals in a game, including only 12 by Weber State on Feb. 20 last season
• Meanwhile, the Hornets' offense has shot 40 percent or better nine times in that same span
NEW BENCH MARK
• Sacramento State has benefited from its depth over the first six games of the season as the Hornet bench has outscored their counterparts at the other end of the court by a 168-57 total
• The bench has contributed at least 20 points in four of the team's first six games, including a whopping 72 in the opener against Stanton
• Sacramento State's reserves are averaging 28.0 ppg as of Nov. 22 -- ranking fourth in the Big Sky and No. 67 in the NCAA
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)... DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)
• Sacramento State hasn't given up much this season, leading the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense (54.2 ppg), rebounding defense (31.8 rpg), and three-point percentage defense (.241), while standing second in field goal percentage defense (.358)
• It's a continuation of a trend that has seen the Hornets post two of the stingiest scoring defenses in school history in the last three years as they allowed 59.9 ppg in 2022-23 (second in school history) and gave up 63.6 ppg in 2024-25 (fourth in school history)
• The school record is 56.8 ppg allowed over 23 games in 1984-85
LET'S GO HALVSIES
• The Hornets' 50-point first half against Cal State Fullerton on Friday were the most in any half against a Division I opponent this season and the third time that Sacramento State eclipsed the 50-point mark in a half this year
• It was the highest-scoring half by the Hornets against a Division I opponent since they put up 52 points in the first half of an 82-66 win at Northern Arizona on Feb. 15, 2024
• The 30-point lead over the Titans at the break on Friday was their largest overall since a 36-point, 52-16, advantage over Pacific Union on Dec. 19, 2019, and the largest against a Division I opponent since outscoring Southern Utah, 61-27, in the first half of a 107-73 win on March 5, 2015
• Sacramento State has now won seven of the 12 halves in the team's six contests this year
• The Hornets also shot 60 percent in the first half against Fullerton -- the second time that they have eclipsed that mark this year (.676 vs. Stanton) and their best in a half against a Division I opponent since shooting .708 in the second half of a 74-57 win over Kansas City on Dec. 4 of last year
PICTURE WORTH A THOUSAND POINTS
• Versteeg enters her final collegiate season closing in on a milestone, needing just 127 more points to reach 1,000 for her career
• Should she reach the plateau, Versteeg would become the 19th Hornet to accomplish the feat and the first since Summer Menke did it in 2022
• Along with her assist total (more on that in a minute), she moved into sixth on the all-time minutes played list with 3,104 and, if she's able to replicate her total from each of the last two seasons, would set a new school record
• With her 36 assists over her first six games this season, Versteeg now has 482 for her career, moving her into second on the school's all-time list, trailing only record-holder Fantasia Hilliard (726 from 2011-15), on that chart
• Among other top 10s, Versteeg is just 96 made field goals, 68 more free throws made, and 27 more steals from breaking into those lists
REAL STEAL
• Keep your eye on the ball... otherwise senior Fatoumata Jaiteh will make it disappear
• Jaiteh enters Monday night's contest with 17 steals on the year -- ranking second only to Natalie Picton (18) on the team and standing among the top five in the Big Sky as of Nov. 22
• Of Jaiteh's 17 steals, seven of those came on Friday in the win over Cal State Fullerton -- a mark that is tied for fifth on the school's single-game list
• Her seven swipes were the most by a Hornet since Maranne Johnson had nine against Southern Utah on Jan. 12, 2017
• Jaiteh is averaging 6.0 steals per game over her last two contests after collecting five steals in the win at Long Beach State
• As of Nov. 22, Jaiteh's seven steals are the most in a single game by a Big Sky player this season
NO "GRAY" AREA HERE
• Just when you thought Rubi Gray's career-high 24 points at UC San Diego were a flash in the pan, the sophomore guard did herself two better in her team's win over Cal State Fullerton
• Gray finished with a career-high 26 points -- 19 of those coming in a scintillating first half -- against the Titans, draining 11-of-20 from the field, including a quartet of three-pointers
• The 11 makes from the field were the most by a Hornet since Jaydia Martin was 11-of-17 against Kansas City on Dec. 4 last season, while the 26 points were two shy of the most points scored by a Big Sky player in a game as of Nov. 22 (Northern Arizona's Naomi White had 28 at Arizona)
• Gray has now scored in double figures in each of her last three games, averaging 21.0 ppg and shooting .490 (25-for-51) from the field
• The 24-point outburst against the Tritons marked her first career double-digit scoring performance and her first career 20-point game while making her first Hornet to reach the 20-point plateau this season
• That performance nearly tripled-up her previous career scoring high of nine points set in this year's season opener against Stanton University
"PIC" TO CLICK
• Steady as she goes has been the motto for junior guard Natalie Picton, who finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and a season-high five assists in the win over Cal State Fullerton on Friday
• The performance marked her fifth double-digit scoring game in six tries this season -- the only Hornet to accomplish the feat -- and missing a clean sweep by a point after being held to nine points at California
• Over her last three games, Picton is averaging 12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 3.0 apg
MISS STEAL YOUR BALL
• Picton has been sneaky to start the season, finishing with multiple steals in all six of the Hornets' contests thus far
• Picton's 18 swipes put her second in the Big Sky standings in that category as of Nov. 22 and also ranks her No. 23 in the nation thus far
• Her five steals in her Hornet debut against Stanton are tied for fifth (along with teammates Rubi Gray, Fatoumata Jaiteh, and seven others) in a game by a Big Sky player this season
• As a team, the 26 steals against Stanton were four shy of the program's single-game mark of 30 set against Portland State on Feb. 7, 2015
• The total was also the highest in six seasons for the Hornets, who last posted a 20-plus steal game against Cal Maritime on Nov. 13, 2019, finishing with 28 in that contest
DELICIOUS DISH
• Add seven more assists to the ledger for Versteeg, who has posted five-or-more helpers in each of the first six games of the season
• Her total of 36 assists and her 6.0 assists per game puts her atop the Big Sky in both categories, while ranking No. 11 and No. 24 in the nation, respectively, as of Nov. 22
• Her 36 assists are six ahead of last year's six-game pace when she finished the campaign tying her own single-season record of 208
• With her seven assists against Cal State Fullerton on Friday -- which tied her season high -- Versteeg posted her 32nd career game with seven-or-more assists with all of those coming in the last two-plus seasons (a total of 69 games)
BACK TO RUN THE SHOW
• The two-time Big Sky assist queen returns to the floor for her fourth season in the green and gold as Benthe Versteeg looks for a repeat of her last two record-setting campaigns
• After setting the school single-season record with 208 assists in 2023-24, Versteeg matched her own mark with 208 helpers in 2024-25, which ranked her tied for eighth in the Big Sky record books
• It marked the 12th time in Big Sky history that a player accumulated 200 assists in a season and only the third to accomplish the feat since 2012, joining Northern Arizona's Regan Schenck (231 in 2022-23)
• Versteeg's 6.50 apg last year is tied for the second-highest single-season mark in program history along with Fantasia Hilliard's 2013-14 average -- both of which trailed Versteeg's 6.71 apg in 2023-24
• Versteeg has now led the Big Sky in assists per game in back-to-back seasons -- the first player in league history to do so since Hilliard did so in three straight years from 2012-15 and only the fourth overall since 1988-89 (Montana's Skyla Sisco and Eastern Washington's Jennifer Sutter)
• Versteeg's performance last year marked only the sixth time a Hornet led the league in assists, joining Lianna Tillman (6.04 apg) in 2021-22, Rexanne Rodriguez (5.65 apg) in 2000-01, Tika Koshiyama-Diaz (5.48 apg) in 2010-11, and Hilliard, who did it in three straight seasons: 2012-13 (5.9 apg), 2013-14 (6.5 apg), and 2014-15 (5.8 pg)
SHE GIVETH AND SHE TAKETH AWAY
• Only six schools have a player ranked among the top 25 in the nation in assists and steals (as of Nov. 17) as Sacramento State's duo of Versteeg (t11th in assists) and Picton (t23rd in steals) is joined by players from five other "Power Four" programs
• Florida's Liv McGill (t14th in assists and t5th in steals), Georgia's Trinity Turner (t22nd in assists and t17th in steals), Vanderbilt's Aubrey Galvan (t14th assists) and Mikayla Blakes (t19th steals), Michigan State's Kennedy Blair (t22nd assists) and Rashunda Jones (t23rd steals), and Texas A&M's Ny'Ceara Pryor (t22nd assists and t23rd in steals)
