It was the final game of the season for junior guard Sydney Gatson, but the 75-64 loss to Northern Arizona University (13-14 overall, 6-8 in Big Sky Conference) on Saturday was evidence for her that Sacramento State (3-24, 1-13) is on its way to a successful season next year.-

But the team will play next season without head coach Carolyn Jenkins, whose contract will not be renewed by the hornet athletic department when it expires on March 31.

“I think we’ve shown that we’re going to be contenders next year,” Gatson said. “We’ve proven to ourselves, and our fans, that we’ve improved and come together. It’s a young team and we’ve matured a lot. Next year there’s going to be some (teams) looking out for us.”-

During NAU’s last encounter with the Hornets in February, the Lumberjacks led the Hornets from start to finish, winning 73-44. Saturday’s game proved to be a difficult win for the Lumberjacks.-

“I felt that Sac State did a great job of taking advantage of their game-plan and taking it to us inside and capitalizing on rebounds,” NAU coach Meg Sanders said. “They’re a good team — they’re much better than their record. They’ve played quite a few teams closer. I’m always worried when I come here.”-

The Hornets started off cold, squeezing off only a single shot in the initial three minutes of play, getting outscored 17-0. Sac State then struck at the Lumberjacks’ weakened interior with a vengeance. At halftime, the deficit, which was as low as three, fizzled to eight.-

The comeback began when Jenkins ran the offense through the post, capitalizing on NAU’s weakened interior.

“It got us back into the game in the first half,” Jenkins said. “I think in the second half we missed out on some opportunities to do the same thing. We tried to do a bit too much on the perimeter and you can’t do that because of the level of athleticism they have on the perimeter.”-

The Hornets’ Katelyn Ciampi abused the injury-ridden Lumberjacks in the post: Ciampi scored a career-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and dominated the boards with 12 rebounds for her first career double-double. Her efforts, both offensively and defensively, allowed for numerous Sac State scoring runs.-

“I take each player differently,” Ciampi said. “I try to stick with my defense, whether I’m guarding or in the post. I try to be strong with the ball and do what I can — someone has to be open if there’s two people on me.”-

NAU, despite being laden with injuries, managed to stifle two Hornet scoring runs. The final Sac State rally, with five minutes remaining in the second half, cut the deficit to within six points.

The Lumberjacks responded when Jen Snitker, a 23-year-old forward who scored a game-high 22 points on 11-of-18 shooting, hit a clutch, turn-around jumper, pushing the lead out to eight.

Sac State struck back with a flurry of free throws and jumpers, closing the gap to four points with 3:04 remaining. But NAU pushed away on a series of layups and shots from the charity stripe, ending the game.-

Sac State had four players in double figures with Ciampi leading the Hornets. Sarah Craig came up second in scoring with 15 points, two assists and two steals. Gatson followed with 13 points and five boards, while center Danielle Iceman garnered 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting.-

Sac State may have finished on a losing note this season, but they lay claim to a win that few teams in the conference can — the victory against Montana State University last Saturday.

-“It was tough,” Jenkins said. “We’ve faced more adversity on the road — like against Montana State when they made a run on us and we were able to come back.

“It affected us, but it didn’t affect our confidence, knowing that we had just done it on the road, that we could come back and take the lead.”-

While the loss at home had great impact, many of the Hornets feel that the future looks bright.-

“From the beginning until now we’ve totally stepped up our game and I just wish we could have been more consistent at the beginning,” Ciampi said. “Now’s a good time as any (to step it up), because hopefully it’ll carry on to the next season.”

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