With nine conference games remaining, it’s safe to say that the Sacramento State women’s basketball team is having its best season in six years.

Since the 1995-1996 season, when Sac State went 10-18, the program has not won more than six games.

With a current 5-13 record (1-4 in the Big Sky Conference) the Hornets are not only on pace to break the six win plateau, but also to make a run at their first Big Sky Tournament appearance since 1997.

Despite this, the Hornets still have major holes in their game. Sac State has held a halftime lead only once this season and still only shoots 35 percent from the floor.

However, nowhere have the Hornets struggled more than at the free-throw line.

The problem does not seem to be a lack of practicing. Sac State coach Dan Muscatell says that the members of the women’s team are required to make a certain amount of free-throw shots during practice.

“Our players shoot and make free throws every day in practice. And they shoot them at a high level,” Muscatell said. “And it’s frustrating that it doesn’t translate.

“It’s frustrating to our fans and it’s frustrating to our players.”

For the season, Sac State is shooting 61.4 percent from the line, ranking them No. 298 out of 324 teams in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. Fellow Big Sky member Idaho State leads the nation at 79.7 percent. The Hornets are last in the Big Sky at the charity stripe.

The most telling numbers come from the loss of points that the Hornets suffer when the shots don’t fall.

Currently the Hornets are averaging 55.1 points per game, placing them last in the eight-team Big Sky in scoring average and No. 295 in the nation.

Sac State’s best free throw shooter is junior forward Lindsey Heard. Heard shoots 78.3 percent from the line, best amongst those on the team with at least 10 attempted free throws.

However, she has only gone to the line 23 times this season. The only other Hornet shooting above 70 percent is junior Cindy Alldrin.

Forward Ashley Cadotte, a transfer from Clackamas Community College in Oregon, has taken the most free throws for the Hornets, a by-product of the aggression she shows on the court getting to the basket.

While Cadotte has gone to the line 72 times this season, she has only converted 41 shots (56.9 percent).

Only junior center Katelyn Ciampi has a lower average, as she is shooting 51.7 percent from the free throw line.

“We’re getting into the gym every day and that’s really helped,” said redshirt sophomore Kim Sheehy, a transfer from San Jose State who shoots 56.7 from the charity stripe. “I think taking time for that redshirt year was more difficult than I thought, but I can’t really use that as an excuse.”

After winning only one game all last season, the Hornets entered this season with modest goals.

One of those goals was to make more free throws than their opponent attempted, according to Muscatell.

So far, that has been a futile attempt, as Sac State has made 172 free throws while their opponents have made 170.