With just 16 seconds on the clock in regulation and down by four, Sacramento State stared down what seemed like an insurmountable deficit Monday evening. UC Davis’ shots had begun to fall, and the Hornets needed an answer to stay in the fight.
Aggie redshirt senior center Megan Norris’ second free throw bounced off the rim and into the waiting hands of Hornet junior forward Keanna Salave’a, who slung the ball upcourt to Hornet junior guard Natalie Picton. She paused, then launched a deep three, finding nothing but nylon to cut the deficit to one with just seven seconds left.
On the inbound, Norris was fouled again and sent to the line. She’d only manage to make one, giving Sac State one final chance down two. Picton handled the ball at the top of the arc, looking for an opening as the clock wound down.
With 0.1 seconds left and in a moment of carelessness, the Davis defender fouled Picton while Sac State was in the bonus, sending her to the line with an opportunity to tie the game.
Picton continued her career night, drilling both free throws to send the Hornets into overtime and pushing her personal point total to 24.
In overtime, the absence of one of Sac State’s stars was felt by the Hornets. Early in the fourth quarter, senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh fell to the floor with an injury that necessitated her being carried off.
“Losing [Jaiteh], that’s a big loss,” Picton said. “We’re praying she’ll be okay, but our bench will need to step up.”
The Hornets took a brief lead halfway through overtime on the back of a clutch three from sophomore guard Rubi Gray, but five unanswered points for the Aggies sealed the game for Davis, 70-67.
The overtime period acted as a microcosm for the game as a whole – defined by turnovers given away. Sac State gave up the ball four times in the extra frame, with just one assist.
“We’ll do a lot of passing during practice,” Salave’a said. “It’s also reading the defense, making sure it’s not the dump, just little things like that.”
Across the game, the Hornets doubled their assists with turnovers, and the Aggies scored 20 points off of the Hornets’ miscues.
“It’s a difference of discipline and execution,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said. “We’ll need to have confidence in what we’re running and how we’re doing it and not forcing the issue.”
Redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg filled the stat sheet but struggled to take care of the ball throughout, committing nine turnovers and shooting just 4-14 from the field.
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If Jaiteh is to miss time, the depth that Kallhoff acquired during the offseason will be crucial.
Sophomore forward Brooklyn Taylor, who has played well in an extended role this season, filled in for Jaiteh down the stretch. She, as well as sophomore center Ajong Lual, will need to step up to fill the gap that Jaiteh leaves as a rebounder and interior scorer.
“We got dogs on the bench,” Salave’a said. “I’m not really worried. The only thing is, she’s basically like the glue to this team, but she’ll still be there on the bench, so we’ll still feel her presence. I’m excited to see what the bench can do – what they can bring.”
With the loss, the Hornets’ record drops to 5-2 ahead of the CBU Classic tournament on Nov. 28-29, where they’ll play on back-to-back nights in Riverside against Chattanooga and either California Baptist University or UC Santa Barbara.
After the tournament, the Hornets will go on a California tour before beginning their Big Sky campaign, taking on Pacific, Simpson, San Jose State and San Francisco State.
Sac State plays Chattanooga University at the Fowler Events Center in Riverside, California on Nov. 28, 2025 at 2 p.m.
