Coming off a loss at the hands of Northern Colorado Thursday evening, Sacramento State women’s basketball faces another challenge in the University of North Dakota.

The Hornets (16-8, 8-7) will finish their two-game road trip with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the University of North Dakota (17-8, 12-4), the number one team in the Big Sky Conference.

Sac State fell to Northern Colorado 62-55 on Thursday night – its second lowest scoring total this year. The loss brought the Hornets’ road record to 5-6.

After starting the season 11-1, the Hornets have gone just 5-7 since. A second win against North Dakota could mean a much needed upward shift in momentum.

The Hornets took the first matchup against North Dakota on Jan. 23, in a 110-104 victory at The Nest.

North Dakota’s ascent to the top of the conference standings has been thanks in large part to the contributions from senior forward Madi Buck and sophomore forward Mia Loyd.

Buck and Loyd have combined to average for 30.2 of North Dakota’s 69.5 points per game.

Sac State will have to rely on similar contributions from its two leaders, senior guard Alle Moreno and junior point guard Fantasia Hilliard.

Moreno and Hilliard are the Hornets’ leading scorers, combining for 26.1 points per game.

As a team, Sac State has averaged 87.0 points per contest, but the offense has struggled while the team has been on the road.

At home the Hornets have averaged better than 92 points per game, but just 73 points per contest while away from the Nest.

Sac State will need to improve its offensive struggles on the road against a North Dakota team that allows just 65.0 points per game and just over 59 points per contest at home.

The Hornets will look to do just that once the game tips off at noon in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D.

Satchi Hover can be reached on Twitter @SatchiHover