SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sophomore guard Rubi Gray finished with a team-high 16 points and junior forward Keanna Salave'a finished with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double off the bench, but Sacramento State couldn't hold on to a late five-point fourth-quarter advantage, falling to host San Jose State, 61-56, on Sunday afternoon in San Jose, Calif.
The loss put the Hornets at 6-7 overall heading into the start of Big Sky Conference play, which begins at home against Idaho State on New Year's Day at 6:30 p.m. Led by a career-high 29 points from Maya Anderson, the Spartans earned their first win against a Division I opponent this season, improving to 2-10 overall on the year.
Gray finished in double figures for the 10th consecutive game, ending the day 5-of-9 from the field, including a quartet of three-pointers and a pair of free throws. All but 17 of her 193 points this season have come during this run where she is averaging 17.4 ppg and shooting .481 from the field.
The double-double by Salave'a was her first in a Hornet uniform and the second by a Sacramento State player this year. Her 11 boards — five of those coming on the offensive end on Sunday — are the second-most by a Hornet this season, trailing only Benthe Versteeg's 12 rebounds against UC Davis. Meanwhile, her 11 points gave her double figures in each of her last three games where she is averaging 11.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and shooting .536 from the field.
Junior guard Natalie Picton was the third Sacramento State player in double figures, finishing with 10 points and four rebounds along with three assists and five steals while playing all 40 minutes. The five swipes tied her season high set in the season opener against Stanton and gave her multiple steals for the 11th time in 13 games.
Sacramento State led briefly in the first quarter at 9-7 before San Jose State finished the period on a 17-5 run and led by 10 at the end of one. A quiet second quarter from both teams had the Spartans up 11 at the break before the Hornets caught fire out of the locker room.
Sacramento State scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to make it a one-point game, holding SJSU to 0-for-3 shooting and four turnovers, eventually outscoring the host side 22-12 in the period. A quick burst by the Spartans put them back up six, but a three-pointer by Gray and a Versteeg lay-up off a Picton steal made it 47-46 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Picton kept the ball rolling with a three-pointer out of the quarter break and free throws by Elizabeth Abiara and Gray made it an 11-0 run and a 52-47 advantage for the Hornets with 8:51 to go.
However, that was the last time Sacramento State would see the lead. A personal 7-0 run by San Jose State's Allie Cummins sparked an 11-0 run for the home team heading into the media timeout as the Hornets went without a point for six minutes. Salave'a scored inside to snap the run and make it a four-point game, but Sacramento State could do no better than to trade baskets the rest of the way as the Spartans held on for the win.
The Hornets forced SJSU into 26 turnovers, turning those in 25 points for the good, but only managed to shoot 39 percent for the game to the Spartans' 43 percent.
