The Sacramento State Hornets were off to a frenetic start in front of a packed house, hoping to end 70 years of basketball at The Nest on a high note.
Four minutes into senior night, Sac State was leading visitor Portland State 11-3 in one of their best starts to any game this season. The Hornets were getting easy offense from elite defense, swinging and running in transition after forcing turnovers.
Portland State called a timeout five minutes in, scrambling for answers against an ironclad Sac State defense. Despite their best efforts, it was all Sac State to close the first quarter, ending the period with a 21-5 lead.
The Hornets didn’t relent, extending their lead to 18 with six and a half minutes to go in the half. Before the Vikings slowly whittled down the lead to eight as the Hornets went scoreless for the rest of the half.
Junior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh opened the third quarter with five straight points while setting picks and getting the interior offense against a physical Portland State paint defense. Jaiteh continued to be a vector for contact, forcing her way to the line with elite footwork.
The Hornets attacked the rim throughout the game, scoring 38 points in the paint, their highest total in Big Sky Conference play this season.
Senior forward Jaydia Martin followed Jaiteh and redshirt junior guard Benthe Versteeg’s 9-3 run with a corner three that extended the Hornet lead back to 15. The Hornets and the Vikings traded buckets for the rest of the game, but the Vikings couldn’t retake the lead.
In their final game in the 70-year history of The Nest, the Hornets walked out with a win, 69-57.
The backcourt of sophomore guard Lina Falk and Versteeg shined in the win, forcing a combined six turnovers with plenty of offensive punch to go along.
Falk scored a game-high 19 points, while Versteeg recorded her fourth straight double-double. Falk’s 19 included an audacious attempt from the center court logo, one of her two threes in the game.
Monday’s game continued a stretch of hot shooting from the Hornets, hitting over 40% of their threes for the second consecutive game.
Including Monday’s win, Versteeg is averaging 15.5 points, 10.5 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals in her last four games. This stretch has earned her Big Sky Co-Player of the Week honors, along with Montana’s junior guard Mack Konig.
“She’s the best point guard in this league,” Sac State head coach Aaron Kallhoff said.
Averaged nearly a triple-double this week #ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/B0PjmOv7hf
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) March 4, 2025
Sac State honored two seniors in Monday’s game: senior forward Katie Peneueta and her childhood teammate and friend, Martin.
“It’s really, really special,” Peneueta said. “I think it was all in God’s plan that the timing worked out to let us finish our careers together.”
Peneueta put on a defensive clinic against the Vikings, recording five blocks in the win and becoming the sixth woman in Sac State history to record 100 blocks in her career.
After starting at Sac State and spending her junior season at North Carolina State, she returned to finish her Sac State career where it all started. Penueta boasts a 3-point percentage of 44%, by far the best in program history.
The pair transferred into Sac State for this season, bringing leadership and experience to a young Hornets squad. Martin led the team in scoring this season with 14.8 points per game.
“I’m thankful that they chose Sac State to close their careers,” Kallhoff said. “They’re two high-character kids, both on and off the floor.”
Next Stop: Boise
️ https://t.co/OdPZR7h6tW pic.twitter.com/SCKnVUpvdG
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) March 4, 2025
The Big Sky tournament field is set with the win, with Sac State drawing Eastern Washington in the first round of the playoffs.
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The Hornets went 0-2 against the Eagles this season but looks to bounce back, with their starters healthy this time around. Eastern Washington, Martin’s former team, has one of the strongest defenses in the Big Sky, allowing the least points per game in conference play.
“I’m excited to be competitive with my old teammates,” Martin said. “I feel like we match up well against them. Every game is a dog fight.”
The Hornets take on the Eagles for the first round of the tournament in Boise this Saturday at 1:30 pm.
