Sacramento State women’s basketball learned that no team in the Big Sky Conference should be taken for granted, even a team with only four wins. 

 After coming out of halftime with a 12-point lead against Northern Arizona (4-14, 3-7), the Hornets hung on for a 73-67 victory on Thursday, despite  shooting only 25 percent in the second half. 

Although Sac State relinquished its lead with 11:26 left in the game, the Hornets came back with a pair of 3-pointers by junior guard Alle Moreno and never looked back.

“It’s not like we were calling a bunch of timeouts,” said Sac State head coach Jamie Craighead. “We were just running up and down trading shots. We know how to play through that.”

The Hornets started the game hitting three 3-point shots in the first four minutes to take an 11-2 lead. They extended their lead to as much as 15 points with five minutes remaining after senior forward Mallorie Franco scored on a layup. 

All season, Franco has averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, but against the Lumberjacks, she scored a season-high 12 points in 20 minutes. 

“I’d like to think I am (a leader),” Franco said, who was just two points shy of her career high. “Just having that extra spark off the bench is needed. We sub a lot, so we don’t want that drop off when our starters go out.”

Northern Arizona made a second-half surge started by senior guard Amy Patton, who leads the Big Sky with 19.7 points per game. She finished with a double-double of 14 points and 18 rebounds. 

“She is one of the best players in the conference,” Craighead said. “She’s really athletic and long. She is a tough matchup.”

The Hornets responded with some inside presence of their own coming from seniors Megan Kritscher and Kylie Kuhns. 

As a tandem, they finished with 16 points and 24 rebounds, but Kritscher said she knows there is a long way to go during the season. 

“It was tough and they are a good team,” Kritscher said. “We have a lot to work on and need to stay focused.”

With the halfway point of the conference season now behind them, the Hornets are still looking up as they sit fifth in the Big Sky and only two games behind Montana State for second place.

Despite the Hornets’ success winning five out of their last seven games, Craighead and her team said they are nowhere close to reaching their goals. 

“We are still working,” Franco said. “We won’t stop until we get that Big Sky championship.”

The Hornets return to The Nest at 2 p.m. on Saturday, when they resume conference play against Southern Utah.

Follow Ryan on Twitter at @rskuhn and State Hornet Sports at @sh_sports for live updates.