The Sacramento State Hornets traded the Hornet Pavilion of the capital city for the enigmatic lights of the bayside Chase Center on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 17 in a “moral victory.”
“We gave ourselves a chance down 19 points with five minutes left in the third quarter,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said. “Just a backbreaker.”
In the third quarter, the San Francisco Dons shot 75% from beyond the arc, pushing the lead to double digits. After missing an airballed three, junior forward Keanna Salave’a went to the end of the bench, knowing things had to change.
“I sat there, thought about it and looked up,” Salave’a said. “I gotta go fight and be a dog.”
Salave’a recouped and stood tall in the paint when she re-entered the game, using the glass to total 11 points.
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Halfway through the third, the Dons’ steam started to dissipate beyond the arc, and the Hornets jumped on the opportunity to take advantage of it.
The Dons had mounted a 19-point lead that the Hornets shrunk to five, relying on a blend of scoring and offensive rebounds from sophomore guard Rubi Gray, junior forward Elizabeth Abiara and Salave’a.
Abiara tallied eight rebounds, collapsing on the ball before the Dons could get a chance. Half of her boards came on offense, reigniting possessions for the Hornets as they cut the deficit.
“We had a post presence from [Abiara] and [Salave’a] today, which was encouraging,” Kallhoff said. “That’s going to help.”
Redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg also kept her team alive through rebounds, tallying nine against the Dons, dishing out five assists and finding Salave’a near the basket.
“You want to have those thoughts in your head asking, ‘what is working?,’” Versteeg said. “We found [Salave’a] in the paint, she was playing really good.”
Versteeg also tallied 11 points, kickstarting the Hornet momentum with a top-of-the-key three that rattled through the rim.
The once-precise shooting beyond the arc from the Dons flatlined, aiding in the Hornets pulling the deficit to five.
Despite the shrinking lead, turnovers were a thorn in the side of the Hornets in the close deficit, passing over teammates and running into reach-in fouls on defense.
“We had a run of 11 [points] throughout the game,” Kallhoff said. “There’s a lot of areas we won the game in, but it’s gonna be hard to win with 28 turnovers.”
The Dons regained their footing, playing off of multiple second-chance rebounds and taking over the key with a presence the Hornets couldn’t contain, winning 61-55.
With only one nonconference game left against San Jose State, Kallhoff said he’s optimistic as the new year brings Big Sky Conference play.
“My teams always get better as the year goes on,” Kallhoff said. “I’m just thankful for my group’s effort today.”
The Hornets will make another trip to the Bay against San Jose State on Sunday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m.
