The Hornets buried the Tritons into the sandy beaches of La Jolla on Wednesday evening in a 71-60 statement win on the road. The matchup between the two is one of many to come, as Sacramento State will join the Big West Conference where UC San Diego stands as the reigning champs.
“Winning on the road and against a Division I program is hard,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said. “Especially against a team that was in the tournament last year.”
The Hornets opened the game with haste, as they leaped to a 7-0 start. Forward Fatoumata Jaiteh drove the momentum with her footwork in the paint, maneuvering herself into open spots under the glass.
Redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg also got involved quickly, tossing floaters and diving for the ball on the logo to contribute to the early lead.
Sophomore guard Rubi Gray made her offensive presence felt early, shooting 4 of 5 from three, doubling her 3-pointers made across the previous three games.
Gray found any spot beyond the arch, sending threes through the nylon any time the ball met her hands.
“I think it’s just the start for me,” Gray said. “I want to be able to carry this momentum into the next games and really build on this with the team.”
Consequently, Gray was awarded the match’s Iron Hornet belt, an accolade given to the player who showed grit in the win.
Along with her imposing performance against UCSD’s defense, she also shined guarding her side of the court. She seamlessly imposed her presence on defense, standing tall against the ballhandler’s shot attempts on multiple offensive drives to total three blocks and one steal.
“Coming into the game, I knew my defense had to be on point,” Gray said. “I wanted to have the mentality of ‘what will be, will be’ and have fun.”
After halftime, the Hornets really began to surpass their future Big West rivals.
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Whether it was raining down threes or maintaining offensive aggression in the paint, Sac State picked up right where they left off in the first half.
Junior guard Natalie Picton led the charge, staying in and competing on the hardwood for the whole game.
“When I’m out there, I’m playing for my team,” Picton said. “We work so hard together every day, so I want to match their energy and effort for all 40 minutes.”
Towards the end of the third and beginning of the fourth, the Tritons began to chip at the lead, drawing fouls and meeting the rim on mid-range jumpers.
The fouls persisted, forcing Kalhoff to take out Jaiteh, a prominent rebounder and opposing presence in the paint all game.
Moments later, Versteeg was fouled out of the game. Picton said she saw this as an opportunity to step up.
“Benthe is such a big presence for us, so when she fouled out, my mindset was just to do whatever the team needs,” Picton said. “Everyone stepped up in their own way, but I really wanted to be that steady voice on the floor and make sure we finished the game together.”
As the final few minutes wound down, the Tritons’ momentum slowly washed away like a sand castle built a little too close to the incoming tide, 71-60.
The Hornets aim to double their road wins this season against Long Beach State on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m.
“We won as a team, and every single person showed up how they knew they could,” Picton said. “We couldn’t be happier.”
