SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Following a rousing victory to celebrate the end of final exams, the Sacramento State women's basketball team heads to the Bay Area for its penultimate non-conference contest, taking on San Francisco on Wednesday (Dec. 17) at 4 p.m. The game will be played at the Chase Center, the home of the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries and the NBA's Golden State Warriors.
GAME #12
WHAT: Sacramento State (6-5, 0-0 Big Sky) at San Francisco (6-4, 0-0 WCC)
WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025
TIME: 4 PM PT
WHERE: San Francisco, Calif.
ARENA: Chase Center
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: USFDons.com
GAME NOTES: Sacramento State | San Francisco | Big Sky Conference
THE COACHES
• Sacramento State's Aaron Kallhoff enters his third year at the helm of the Hornets' program, posting a 27-48 mark and a 105-124 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
• Molly Goodenbour is in her 10th season at San Francisco, posting a 140-147 record
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 has faced four of its future league rivals this year: UC San Diego (Nov. 12), Long Beach State (Nov. 15), Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 21), and California Baptist (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 DONS
• San Francisco enters the week with a 6-4 overall record, but has lost its last two straight at Arizona State (67-44) and Colorado State (69-52)
• The Dons are 4-2 at home this year, winning four straight before falling to the Rams on Dec. 13
• Wednesday's contest marks the second in a run of four straight home games for USF, which includes West Coast Conference openers against Oregon State and Portland at the end of the month
• Sophomore guard Candy Edokpaigbe leads the team in scoring at 17.2 ppg, shooting .541 from the field and averaging 5.1 rpg to boot
• Five other players are averaging better than six points per contest, including freshman forward Noelia Mourino, who leads the team with 6.6 rpg and shoots .465 from the field to go with 7.4 ppg
SERIES NOTABLES
• San Francisco leads the all-time series with Sacramento State, 12-5
• Wednesday's game marks the first between the two programs since the 2020-21 season won by the Dons, 108-82, in Sacramento
• USF has won the last six straight meetings between the two schools
• The Hornets haven't won a game in the series since 2012-13 -- a 68-60 home triumph
• Sacramento State is just 2-6 on the road against San Francisco, losing the last four
• The Hornets' last road win against the Dons came on Jan. 5, 2010, a 77-74 triumph
CONFERENCE CALL
• Sacramento State is a combined 29-83 against the current West Coast Conference alignment
• Prior to the Dec. 4 meeting at Pacific, the Hornets hadn't faced a WCC opponent since a 70-65 defeat at Santa Clara on Nov. 29, 2023, at home
• Sacramento State's last win over a WCC school was a 73-63 triumph over the Broncos on Nov. 14, 2022 -- a win that snapped an eight-game skid against the WCC dating back to the Hornets' WNIT win over Pacific in 2015 (not including a pair of losses to conference newcomer Seattle U in 2019-20 and 2021-22)
CUT TO THE "CHASE"
• The Chase Center represents the third current or former NBA arena that will have hosted a Sacramento State women's basketball game
• The Hornets hosted Cal Poly at ARCO Arena -- then the home of the Sacramento Kings -- on Dec. 11, 1993, winning by the score of 89-58, then battled USC on Dec. 9, 2000, falling 87-61
• Causeway rivals Sacramento State and UC Davis then played one another as part of a doubleheader at the Golden 1 Center -- the current home of the Kings -- during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons
CENTURY CLUB
• Sacramento State's 102-42 win over Simpson marked the program's 31st 100-point game
• It was the second time this season that the Hornets have eclipsed the 100-point plateau, joining their 124 points against Stanton
• The 124 points against the Elks rank fourth on the school's all-time scoring list
• It marked the first time since the 2016-17 season that the Hornets have scored at least 100 points in a game twice in the same year after posting 102 against Stanislaus State (Nov. 29) and 110 at Southern Utah (Feb. 25)
IN THE MARGINS
• 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
• Five of the Hornets' six victories this year have come by double-digits
• Of those five, four have been by 20-or-more points: Stanton (+85), Nevada (+20), Cal State Fullerton (+20), and Simpson (+60)
KEEPING IT 1,000
• Versteeg enters this week's contest continuing to inch her way toward a milestone, needing just 86 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
• Versteeg's 914 career points rank second among active Big Sky student-athletes as of Dec. 15, trailing only Montana's Mack Konig (1,127)
"PIC" TO CLICK
• Junior guard Natalie Picton was the "pick to click" on Monday against Simpson, scoring a collegiate-best 27 points in only 22 minutes on 9-of-13 from the field, draining five three's and adding a 4-for-4 night at the line
• The nine makes from the field were also a collegiate best, while her six assists (against zero turnovers) were a Sacramento State career high
• Picton's performance eclipsed her previous high of 24 points set last season against Idaho State while at Montana State and matched earlier this year against UC Davis and marked her third career 20-plus point game of her career
• Her 5-for-7 night from beyond the arc marked the second time this season she has hit at least five three-pointers in a game, falling one shy of her 6-for-8 performance against the Aggies on Nov. 24
• As of Dec. 15, Picton's 27 points are tied for the fifth-most by a Big Sky player this year, while her six three's against UC Davis are tied for the second-most in the league
SHADES OF GRAY
• Sophomore guard Rubi Gray continued her run of double-digit scoring performances prior to final exams against Simpson, finishing with 15 points in only 17 minutes against the Red Hawks, adding a pair of rebounds and three assists
• The native of Tasmania has now reached double figures in each of her last eight games -- which includes a trio of 20-plus point performances -- averaging 18.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg while shooting .491 (55-for-112) from the field overall
• Her 24 points against Pacific (Dec. 4) matched her output against UC San Diego on Nov. 12 and were just two shy of her career high of 26 against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21
• Following a slow start to the year, Gray has shot better than 44 percent from the field in six of her last eight contests
20-20-20 VISION
• Gray's three 20-point performances this year are tied for fifth among Big Sky scorers entering the week
• She is one of 14 players in the league (as of Dec. 14) with multiple 20-point games this year
HERE'S A QUARTER
• Of Sacramento State's 33 points in the first quarter against Simpson, the 1-2 punch of Picton (13) and Gray (10) combined for 23 of those
• The two performances marked the sixth and seventh double-digit quarters by a Hornet this year -- the fourth by Gray and the second by Picton
• Picton's 13 points are the second-most in a single quarter this year, trailing only Gray's 14-point first quarter against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21
• Aside from Gray and Picton, sophomore Pinja Paananen is the only other Hornet to finish with 10 points in a quarter this year (10 in the fourth against Stanton in the season opener)
HISTORIC HELPING HANDS
• With her 58 assists over her first 11 games this season, Versteeg now has 504 for her career, placing her second on the school's all-time list, trailing only record-holder Fantasia Hilliard (726 from 2011-15), on that chart
• That total also puts her among the top 15 in Big Sky history, passing Southern Utah's Rebecca Cardenas (494 from 2016-20) and Eastern Washington's Jennifer Sutter (492 from 1993-97)
• Montana State's Hannah Caudill (2014-18) is ahead in 13th with 508, with Montana's Margaret Williams (1982-87) with 511 in 12th
HOLD THE LINE
• Picton has been nearly automatic from the line this season, shooting 94 percent (17-for-18) from the stripe
• The Welland, Ontario, native has drained her last 15 free throws without a miss, hitting her last three in a win over UC San Diego on Nov. 12, then 12 straight against Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, UC Davis, and Simpson
• Close behind Picton is Rubi Gray, who is 19-for-22 (.864) from the line on the year and has made her last 14 attempts from the stripe dating back to the Hornets' match-up with Chattanooga on Nov. 28
SHOOTING BLANKS
• Dating back to last season, Sacramento State's defense has held 11 of its last 14 opponents -- and 15 of its last 19 -- to under 40 percent from the field, including 28 percent by Northern Arizona at the 2025 Big Sky Tournament and 26 percent against Simpson on Dec. 15
• The Red Hawks' .264 field goal percentage is the lowest by a Hornet opponent this year and the lowest since Weber State shot just .211 on Feb. 20 last season -- a program Division I era single-game record
• Nine of those 19 opponents have made 20 (or fewer) field goals in a game, including only 12 by Weber State on Feb. 20 last season
• Sacramento State has been even stingier from beyond the arc, holding 18 of its last 19 opponents dating back to last year to under 40 percent from distance -- 15 of those shooting less than 30 percent.
• Meanwhile, the Hornets' offense has shot 40 percent or better 11 times in that same span
A "KEY" INGREDIENT
• Junior forward Keanna Salave'a had herself the best shooting night of her Hornet career on Monday against Simpson, hitting 6-of-7 from the field en route to a season-high tying 12 points in 12 minutes
• Salave'a added five rebounds -- the eighth time this year that she has grabbed five-or-more boards in a game this year
• The junior from Vancouver, Wash., is averaging a team-best 5.6 rpg, ranking among the top 15 in rebounding (t13th), total rebounds (t10th), and offensive rebounds (t4th)
• Her work on the offensive end (28 rebounds) accounts for nearly half of her rebound total (62)
DELICIOUS DISH
• Versteeg has posted five-or-more assists in eight of the team's 11 games
• Her total of 58 assists and her 5.27 assists per game puts her atop the Big Sky in both categories entering this week, while ranking No. 31 and No. 35 in the nation, respectively, as of Dec. 15
• Her 58 assists are three ahead of last year's 11-game pace when she finished the campaign tying her own single-season record of 208
• With her seven assists against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 -- 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 75 games)
MISS STEAL YOUR BALL
• While putting up a career-high point total against Simpson, Picton did not ignore her defensive duties, finishing with three of the team's combined 20 steals on the night
• Picton has multiple steals in 10 of the team's 11 games this year
• Her 27 swipes put her fourth in the Big Sky standings in that category as of Dec. 15 and fifth at 2.5 spg
• As a team, the Hornets have posted 20-or-more steals twice this year against Stanton (26) and Simpson (20)
• 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
• Individually, Fatoumata Jaiteh's seven steals against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 21 currently stand as the most by a Big Sky player in a game
TIME IS ON THEIR SIDE
• The backcourt duo of Picton and Versteeg rank 2-3 in the Big Sky in terms of minutes played as of Dec. 15
• Picton is played just over 80 percent of the team's minutes (354 of 440), with Versteeg close behind at 77 percent (338 of 440)
• Picton's 35.36 mpg trails only Northern Arizona's Naomi White (36.81 mpg), while Versteeg is third at 33.8 mpg
• Thanks to those minutes, Versteeg has moved into fifth on the all-time minutes played list with 3,266 and, if she's able to replicate her total from each of the last two seasons, would break Kylie Kuhns' school career record of 3,804 minutes from 2009-13
• Meanwhile, for Picton, her time on the court is a big step up from last season when she played a total of 497 minutes in 31 games at Montana State, and is well above her average of 29.1 mpg in 29 games during her freshman season with the Bobcats in 2023-24
DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)...
• Sacramento State hasn't given up much this season, ranking third in the Big Sky Conference in scoring defense (59.5 ppg) and rebounding defense (35.4 rpg), second in field goal percentage defense (.369), and leading the league in three-point percentage defense (.251) -- the latter ranking No. 23 in the NCAA (as of Dec. 15)
• 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
BENCH BOOST
• Sacramento State's second unit has come on to outscore its counterparts in seven of the team's 11 games this season
• Hornet reserves have combined for 20-or-more points six times in 11 games this year
• Sacramento State ranks fourth in the Big Sky in bench points per game at 24.5 ppg
NOT HALF BAD
• Sacramento State is 5-1 this season when leading at the half and a combined 18-5 when winning the first 20 minutes under Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff over the last two-plus seasons
• Last season (2024-25), the Hornets were a near-perfect 10-1 when leading at the break
• The 58 first-half points on Dec. 15 against Simpson were the second most in a single half this year, trailing only the 71-point opening half against Stanton, and the third half with at least 50 points
ATTACKING THE PAINT
• Sacramento State is a combined 6-1 this year when outscoring its opponents in the paint
• The Hornets have scored 30-or-more points in the key in all six of those wins, including 86 points in the season opener in a lop-sided win over Stanton, 54 against Simpson on Dec. 15, and 44 more in a 20-point victory against Cal State Fullerton
HITS OF THE 70s
• During the Aaron Kallhoff era, 70 points seems to be the magic number for the Hornets
• Over the last two-plus seasons, Sacramento State is 16-3 when scoring 70-or-more points, while winning just 10 times when held under that mark since 2023-24
FINDING THE RIGHT COMBINATION
• After senior Fatoumata Jaiteh went down with an injury against UC Davis on Nov. 24, the Hornets have been in search of her replacement in the starting five
• Featuring the same starting lineup in each of the team's first seven games, Sacramento State has trotted out a different starting five in each of its last four contests
• Tali Fa'i (vs. Chattanooga), Keanna Salave'a (at Pacific), and Pinja Paananen (Simpson) earned their first career starts as Hornets, while Brooklyn Taylor picked up her first start of the year -- and the second of her career -- at California Baptist
