Sac State women’s basketball head coach Mark Campbell suffered his first home loss in his Hornet career as Sac State fell to Seattle University 71-67 at home Saturday afternoon at The Nest in Sacramento. 

The Hornets almost mounted their second double-digit comeback win of the season but ultimately fell just short. 

The Hornets found themselves down 32-16 in the second quarter as Seattle came out blazing, nailing five threes while shooting 50% from distance in the first half.

“We didn’t start the game with a great focus and didn’t get great shots. [We] weren’t disciplined defensively and got in a big hole again,” said head coach Mark Campbell.

The Hornets made it a game in the second quarter, ending on a 13-2 run, making it a six point deficit at the half.

“We played lackadaisical in the first half, and that really killed us. We were able to will our way back but we ran out of time. It wasn’t enough,” said graduate guard Lianna Tillman who has averaged 23.8 points-per-game on the season.

The Hornets heavily relied on high pick and rolls with Tillman and sophomore center Isnelle Natabou, as the Hornets struggled from the 3-point line finishing just 6-21 (28.6%).

Sac State made it a 52-41 deficit as the third quarter ended with a buzzer-beating three from sophomore guard Jessica Rios courtesy of a pass from senior guard Summer Menke.

In the fourth, Tillman opened the scoring for the Hornets with a crossover move that led to an and-one layup to bring the game within single digits. Tillman finished with a game-high 24 points in the loss.

Senior guard Jazmin Carrasco scored 10 of her 12 points in the game in the fourth including a personal 4-0 run for Carrasco. 

The Hornets made it a two point game when Menke hit two free throws to make it a 60-58 Redhawk lead.

The Hornets shot 16 of their 19 free throws in the fourth quarter, leaving too many at the line going just 10-16, including Natabou who went 2-6 from the charity stripe in the fourth. 

Down just three with 35 seconds left, the Hornets’ sophomore guard Nina Berry got a steal and on the fastbreak she missed a layup that would’ve brought them within one. 

After two made free throws by Seattle, Tillman was fouled shooting a three and hit all three free throws to finally bring the Hornets within one. 

Seattle made both of their free throws to once again boost the lead to three. After a Hornets timeout, coach Cambpell set up a three pointer for Rios to tie the game but the three didn’t find the bottom of the net. 

Unfortunately for the Hornets, the Redhawks didn’t miss their free throws as they went 6-6 in the final minute. Not even a Carassco three pointer with just two seconds left could impede on Seattle’s second win of the year. 

“It’s just growth as a program. Figuring out how to put together 40 minutes, we’re not at that point yet,” coach Campbell said.

The Hornets only mustered eight assists compared to Seattle University’s 15 on the game. The Redhawks remained hot from distance the whole game shooting 50% from three and 42% from the field.

The shots weren’t falling at the same rate for Sac State, who shot 38% from the field, and just 28.6% from three. 

“We need to be focused from the beginning and really focus on player personnel and scouting reports, and hold each other accountable,” said the senior guard Carassco.

The Hornets (2-2) move back to .500 as they prepare for the Causeway Classic versus UC Davis at Golden 1 Center, 5 p.m. on Tuesday.