After a frenetic third quarter where Sacramento State managed to hold the visiting Idaho State Bengals to just six points, Sac State’s offense keeled over and failed to score a field goal for the final eight minutes of the game.
The Bengals limited the Hornets to just six shot attempts the whole fourth quarter, with only a layup managing to fall.
In a total offensive collapse, Sac State turned over the ball six times in the final quarter. Their defense was strong, but without an offensive counterpunch, they couldn’t catch up.
Idaho State held the lead, winning 50-41.
Sac State head coach Aaron Kallhoff said star senior forward Jaydia Martin was out with a concussion. Without their leading scorer, the Hornet offense had no North Star.
Aside from redshirt junior guard Benthe Versteeg and junior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh’s two-man game, nothing was clicking for the Hornets. The pair scored 25 points, while the rest of the team added 16.
“We have to clean it up,” Kallhoff said. “We became stagnant. It’s turnovers. It’s passing. Our passing was absolutely atrocious.”
The Hornets failed to record a single assist outside of Versteeg’s nine.
Idaho State packed the paint and forced Sac State to work the perimeter, a familiar situation for the Hornets, who couldn’t get their threes to fall.
Both sophomore guard Lina Falk and senior forward Katie Peneueta struggled to shoot, combining for 2-of-16 from the field and 2-of-11 from deep.
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Despite her offensive struggles, Peneueta’s tough interior defense set the tone early on, racking up three blocks and a steal in the first seven minutes. She’s now only one block away from 100 in her career, a mark that only six women have achieved in school history.
Martin’s absence meant Kallhoff had to be creative with his rotations, and freshman forward Noemi Arvai played the most minutes she’s played since Jan. 11.
Arvai made the most of her opportunity, closing the first quarter by drawing a pair of rugged fouls that kept the game within a point. She scored seven total, her highest in Big Sky Conference play.
“I wanted to play aggressive basketball,” Arvai said. “I was hungry for the basket.”
While Sac State effectively protected the paint, Idaho State found space in the midrange and peppered the Hornets in the second quarter. Idaho State’s junior guard Kacey Spink and senior guard Tasia Jordan scored a combined 22 points, 11 of which came off jumpers.
The Bengals scored 21 points in the second, punctuated by a 3-minute blitz where they managed to score on every possession.
Out of halftime down nine, the Hornets wasted little time settling into their strong defense. Idaho State was held scoreless for the first three minutes of the quarter and only managed six across the entire period.
Jaiteh and Versteeg dragged the Hornets back to within three points at the end of the third, dissecting and stifling the Bengals’ defense with their passing. They were aided by a clutch three for Peneueta’s first basket of the game.
The fourth quarter got off to a rocky start with back-to-back threes from Idaho State. Versteeg scored twice in response, but after that, the offense completely fell apart.
I spoke with Sac State’s star guard Benthe Versteeg after the loss to ISU:
“I think we’ve underperformed for the talent we have,” said Versteeg. “We have an opportunity to go to the tournament and let everyone know who we are at Sac State”
Versteeg finished with 15/11/9 & 2 pic.twitter.com/0ewVoZABKA
— Jack (@JackDannKF) February 23, 2025
The Bengals packed the paint, but bad passing and an inability to hit the long ball ultimately sealed the Hornets’ fate. The absence of Martin, who gives the Hornets both of those things, was really felt in the clutch.
This game had massive implications for conference seeding, and Thursday’s other results only made the loss sting more. The win vaulted Idaho State from eighth to fifth, while Sac State dropped to ninth place.
“We’ve underperformed for the talent we have,” Versteeg said. “We have an opportunity to go to the tournament and let everyone know who we are at Sac State.”
Dates on the road against Montana and undefeated Montana State loom this Thursday and Saturday, with only three games remaining until the Big Sky tournament.
Sac State needs to win one of these road games and their final home game against Portland State to have a chance to escape the bottom four of the conference and make the first round of playoffs.
The Hornets take on the Lady Griz in Missoula on Thursday at 6 p.m.
