The Sacramento State women’s basketball team held a halftime lead at the University of Idaho on Monday night but collapsed in the second half and ultimately lost 70-44.

The Hornets (6-14, 3-7 Big Sky Conference) were outscored by the Vandals (13-6, 8-2) 47-19 in the second half.

Defense prevailed early, as Idaho led Sac State 6-2 four minutes into the game. From that point on, the Hornets went on a 13-0 run to close the quarter with a 15-6 lead, holding the Vandals without a basket for the final six minutes.

Idaho outscored Sac State 17-10 in the second quarter to trim the deficit to two points going into halftime at 25-23.

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The Hornets continued to struggle coming out of the half, as the Vandals locked in on defense. Idaho outscored Sac State 25-10 in the third quarter. 

Idaho’s dominant defensive effort culminated in the final quarter, as the Vandals outscored the Hornets 22-9. The defensive pressure from Idaho was too much for the Hornets to handle and they were defeated 70-44.

Sac State’s shooting on the night was abysmal, making 16-of-59 attempts from the field (27.1%) and 3-of-16 from three (18.8%). The Hornets also struggled to rebound, as the Vandals won the battle on the glass 50-36. Finally, Idaho shared the ball more, with 17 assists to the Hornets’ six.

All five starters for the Hornets failed to score in double-digits in the loss. Sophomore guard Summer Menke was the only Hornet to score in double-digits with 13 points off the bench. Senior guard Camariah King grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds but struggled to score with only two points on 1-of-12 from the field. Senior forward Kennedy Nicholas added eight points, six rebounds and two blocks.

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The Vandals were led to the victory by sophomore guard Gina Marxen who scored a game-high 18 points with six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Freshman guard Beyonce Bea contributed 14 points and five rebounds off the bench. Junior post Natalie Klinker pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds (six offensive) and four points in the win.

Sac State will now return home to the Nest for two games. The Hornets play Weber State on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m.