There was never a doubt that the Sacramento State women’s basketball team would take care of business against the Division II Jessup Warriors as they didn’t trail in their 78-51 season-opening win at home Monday.
The Hornets set the tone early with attacks at the basket. Their early paint presence allowed them to take hold with a 9-0 run to start the game off the back of a defensive masterclass from senior forward Jaydia Martin.
Martin stuffed the stat sheet, contributing 16 of the team’s 78 points, along with six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Sac State head coach Aaron Kallhoff said this is just the beginning of the newcomer’s success with the team and expects her to be a star for the Hornets.
“That kid’s got a chance to be the player of the year in this league,” Kallhoff said. “She’s solid, she’s mature and one thing I really appreciate about her, she doesn’t take plays off.”
The Hornets’ aggressive style of play was on display throughout the game and proved to be a double-edged sword. Both teams combined for 43 fouls, 22 of which were accrued by Sac State.
Of those fouls, 14 of them were given to the Hornets’ starting five which forced redshirt junior guard Benthe Versteeg and junior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh to sit most of the first half.
Things got chippy between the two teams as they dove for loose balls and took charges early on. Martin took part in the physical play being a bully in the post, staring down a Jessup defender after a tough basket and receiving a technical in the third quarter.
“It was pretty physical on both ends, but I definitely think everybody was prepared for that,” Martin said.
The positives from the physical play outweighed the negatives, as Sac State outscored Jessup 42-18 in the paint. The early foul trouble also put the bench to the test as six players saw more than five minutes of action.
Three of the five players in double-figure scoring came off the bench and outscored Jessup’s 32-22. Redshirt sophomore guard Madison Butcher, freshman forward Noemi Arvai and redshirt freshman guard Sofia Alonso dropped 10 points apiece in the decisive victory.
Depth was an issue last season for the Hornets as they played Versteeg nearly 40 minutes a game, but Monday’s showing gives hope that the starters can count on bench production this year.
RELATED: Don’t sleep: Sac State’s busy offseason headlined by offensive juggernauts
Another bright spot for the Hornets during their 27-point beatdown of the Warriors was sophomore guard Lina Falk.
Falk tied her career-high of 17 points and added nine rebounds to her impressive night as a frequent recipient of fastbreak buckets.
“It’s a really good feeling,” Falk said about her career night. “We have a great team. Coach AK has built a strong culture with us.”
The Hornets were consistent for three of the four quarters, outscoring the Warriors in all but the third.
In the third quarter, Sac State struggled to find a rhythm as the fouls piled up. They allowed Jessup to cut the lead to 18 thanks to seven fouls that resulted in seven points for the road team.
During a four-minute stretch, the Hornets went 1-of-12 from the field before Martin took out her do-it-herself kit and regained momentum near the end of the quarter with an inbound steal and score.
Off the heels of Martin’s efforts, Sac State fired up the engine, put Jessup through the ringer and went on an 18-1 run during the fourth quarter.
Alonso and Martin connected on multiple occasions, ballooning Sac State’s lead to 35 after a drive and no-look dish to the corner for a Martin 3-pointer that sent Jessup to the bench with their heads down for a called timeout.
“Get this group building, stacking days and I think we’re doing that,” Kallhoff said about the first win of the season. “It seems like our chemistry is pretty solid.”
The Hornets have a tougher test on Thursday as they welcome the UC San Diego Tritons to The Nest for a 6:30 p.m. matchup.
