In order for the seventh-place Hornets to get into the Big Sky Conference tournament for their second-straight season, the team will likely have to pull out some upsets.

Northern Arizona, Portland State and Eastern Washington are the three teams that the women’s hoops team has left on this season’s schedule, and all have records better than the Hornets. “We’re just going to have to do what we’ve been doing all year,” said head coach Dan Muscatell, whose team has lost four straight games. “Prepare for each game individually, knock down some shots, defend the heck out of it and keep doing the good job that we’ve been doing on the boards.”

The Hornets have been struggling lately from the field. In Saturday’s loss to Montana State, Sac State (8-15, 3-8) shot 30 percent (12-of-40) in the first half. The game before that, Thursday against Montana, Muscatell’s squad shot 26 percent (15-of-58).

On Jan. 28 Sac State shot for one of their best percentages from the field (48 percent) against this Saturday’s opponent, Northern Arizona.

Heading into the final stretch of the season the Hornets will have to rely on their best players to get them into the Big Sky Tourney. According to Muscatell, Hornet leading scorer Kim Sheehy (11.3) has been fighting through numerous minor injuries. A constant scoring threat, Sheehy keeps her eyes on the ball at all times and plays with intensity.

“Kim works really hard every single day. I never have to worry about whether she’s going to show up or not to work,” Muscatell said.

Now, teams around the Big Sky have noticed Sheehy and the game she brings wherever she goes. “Everyone knows that she can shoot the basketball. … Teams are targeting her as somebody that they want to take out of the game, she’s drawing everyone’s best defender at the perimeter and they doing a good job of trying to lock down on her.

Senior Ashley Cadotte has been relentless in her effort to grab every rebound that comes her way. On Saturday against the Bobcats she had 13 rebounds to go along with her career-high 23 points. “I think Ashley believes that every rebound is hers,” Muscatell said. “She just tirelessly goes after rebounds on the offensive end.”

The Hornets are currently seventh in the Big Sky standings. The top six teams make it into the conference tourney.

Armando Botello II can be reached at [email protected]