Flying high over the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Sacramento State Hornets aimed their sights on knocking over the next hurdle in Big Sky play.
The Hornets continued to build on their winning streak, chopping down the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in a 78-59 win on Thursday.
Along with the routine film analysis, the Hornets honed in on Lumberjack redshirt freshman guard Naomi White in preparation for the game.
“They got a really good scorer [in White], we need to be locked in,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said.
With the focus on icing White, the Hornets were able to keep the Lumberjacks to single digits deep into the first quarter, but the offense still didn’t click.
A flurry of missed shots stunted Sac State’s ability to capitalize on NAU’s lack of scoring and take the lead.
The scoring faltered on both sides for the rest of the quarter, leaving the opportunity to breach double digits hanging in the air like a jumpball.
Despite the low-scoring opening quarter, the Hornets eventually took off and didn’t look back.
Sophomore guard Rubi Gray led the charge by stacking threes in the corner, tallying 26 points and 11 rebounds on the night.
If Gray scoring 26 points sounds familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first time she’s done it. She matched her career high from Nov. 21 against Cal State Fullerton. Like the Grateful Dead song, there was a touch of Gray on both sides of the court, earning her the game’s Iron Hornet accolade.
Put some respect on our Iron Hornet of the Game! 🐝⚔️ Rubi filled the stat sheet tonight with her first career double-double, putting up 26 points and career-highs in 3PM (6) and rebounds (11). One word: Elite. 💎
Keep going, Rubi! 🔥#StingersUp pic.twitter.com/8P2O4Ci7i1
— Sac State WBB (@SacStateWBB) January 16, 2026
“She deserves it,” Kallhoff said. “I’m proud of her.”
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The game was all guards with redshirt senior Benthe Versteeg and junior Natalie Picton finding their own rhythms that also built up the lead.
According to Sports Reference, Vertseeg is on the brink of reaching the top 10 all-time assist leaders in the Big Sky, just three dimes shy of the mark.
During practice, Kallhoff mentioned that Versteeg was putting up shots early in the morning before practice started. Scoring 18 points against the Lumberjacks, those early mornings paid off.
“She’s there everyday,” Kallhoff said. “She’s the first one on the court a lot of the time.”
Despite a locker room full of the thrill of winning on the road, Kallhoff has his mind on what’s ahead, staying focused when thinking about Northern Colorado.
“What we’ve got to do is come in knowing what we need to do,” Kallhoff said. “This is a tough travel schedule.”
Following the win, the Hornets are 9-8 (3-1 in the Big Sky Conference) and are flying to the centennial state to face Northern Colorado on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m.
“We’re going to keep working,” Kallhoff said. “As long as we work, we’ll keep chipping away.”
