Last year, Sacramento State’s women’s basketball team exceeded expectations with great team chemistry. This year, the same mindset is in place.

The Hornets’ first trip to the Big Sky Conference tournament last season was a big step forward for the program, and this year women’s basketball will succeed even further.

Head coach Jamie Craighead is in her third year coaching. With her fast-paced style of offense and full-court pressure defense, the Hornets wear down the opposition. It might not show early in the year, but after 20 plus games, their conditioning will be the difference in winning games.

Sac State’s starting lineup is made up of key returners including senior forward Kylie Kuhns and a backcourt of junior Allie Moreno and Fantasia Hilliard. Playing another year together, the Hornets now know each other’s strengths and weaknesses even better.

Kuhns will once again dominate in the rebounding category, and although she plays in a smaller conference, she could get national attention with the amount of double-doubles she ends up with.

With Kuhns’ presence inside, she will see her share of double-teams. There is nothing better than having some guards to pass out on the wings to hit the wide open three-point shot.

Moreno and Hilliard both have the outside shooting capability, and with an inside and outside presence, a fast break offense will be tough to stop.

Sac State will not win the Big Sky championship this year, but look for the Hornets to have a decent record and maybe even some upsets come conference tournament time.

See what team chemistry can do?

Ryan Kuhn can be reached at @rskuhn