Sac State women’s basketball loses hard-fought matchup against Idaho State
Hornets split the season series with 67-56 loss
Sac State senior guard Summer Menke drives to the rim against Idaho State Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022 in the Nest. Menke finished with 12 points and six rebounds in the Hornets’ 67-56 loss to the Bengals.
February 20, 2022
It was a hard-fought game as the Sacramento State women’s basketball team took on top-ranked Big Sky opponent Idaho State at The Nest Saturday.
The Hornets (13-12, 9-7 Big Sky) had a chance against the Bengals (17-9, 13-4 Big Sky) when they got the game down to five points but couldn’t keep the momentum going and lost 67-56.
“The margin of error to beat that team is very small,” Hornets’ head coach Mark Campbell said. “Credit to those guys for executing and figuring out a way to get a win on the road.”
The Hornets came out hot, starting with senior guard Summer Menke who got the Hornets on the board first, followed by a three-pointer from graduate guard Lianna Tillman.
Idaho State tied up the game but after a layup from junior guard Jordan Olivares and a three-pointer from senior Jazmin Carrasco, the Hornets went into the second quarter up 19-14.
On top of the Bengals finding some synergy on offense, the Hornets struggled offensively in the second quarter, shooting just 27% after converting half of their buckets in the first quarter.
Even with the offensive struggles, Sac State was able to keep it close, with the majority of their points coming from Tillman who scored seven of the team’s 10 second-quarter points.
The Hornets went into halftime down 30-29 after a last-second layup from senior guard Finley Garnett.
Although there were spurts of great basketball from the Hornets, Idaho State ignited some heavy runs as they started to pull away.
“We weren’t able to put together 40 minutes of focus,” Menke said.
Junior guard Tomekia Whitman caught fire in the third, going 5-6 from the field for 11 points.
The Hornets cut down the lead to five points in the fourth with three minutes and 55 seconds left in the game but let the game get away from them in the end.
Head coach Mark Campbell called for the Hornets not to foul at the end and the Hornets lost their second game in a raw 67-56.
“Well get back in the gym and get some shots up,” Tillman said. “We missed a lot of open shots.”
The Hornets have not lost two games in a row in over a month. They will play again on the road Thursday against Idaho at 6 p.m.
