Hornets fly high on the glass to surpass the Eagles in Big Sky win

The Hornets jump to 10-10 and 4-3 in the conference after the return of a long-missed starter

Andrew A. Brown, Staffer • January 27, 2026

Junior guard Natalie Picton jumps high for a midrange shot against Eastern Washington Saturday Jan. 24, 2026. Picton was the third guard to score double-digit points, landing 18 field goals with two steals.

Two days following a quiet night after a loss to Idaho, sophomore guard Rubi Gray made sure it wouldn’t happen again in a 61-54 win on Jan. 24.

“I had a bit of a bad game on Thursday night,” Gray said. “I told myself, ‘Don’t have two in a row.’ I came in looking for my shots.”

Gray backed up the promise she made to herself, scoring 19 on the night.

“I just told myself, ‘You’ve put in the work. Trust your shot and trust the team to find you,’” Gray said.

All three starting guards; Gray, junior Natalie Picton and redshirt senior Benthe Versteeg reached double-digit points against Eastern Washington with 19, 18 and 10 respectively.

Redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg holds the ball and looks toward sophomore guard Rubi Gray as she runs off a defender Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. Both Gray and Versteeg scored double digits in the win with 19 and 10, respectively. (Jack Dann)

Picton went 4-for-4 from the line, adding three steals on the other side of the ball.

She was also awarded the game’s Iron Hornet belt, a memento symbolizing grit on both sides of the ball.

“The one thing you can’t ever question with our team is our toughness,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said.

With the game inching toward a lead takeover by Eastern Washington late in the fourth, Kallhoff said it was how Sac State tackled the boards that kept them in the driver’s seat.

“We beat them on the offensive glass, and [Eastern Washington] is one of the best offensive glass teams in the league,” Kallhoff said.

Making her first start since Nov. 24, 2025, senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh made her presence known by attacking the boards.

She led her team with seven rebounds and scored four on the offensive glass, disrupting the Eagles’ offense throughout the game.

“It was just good to have her out there,” Kallhoff said.

Jaiteh, who suffered a dislocated knee cap against UC Davis on Nov. 24, said that her recovery process helped her mental game coming back into the starting lineup.

“I feel like the mental piece of it is the biggest thing,” Jaiteh said. “Trusting my knee lets me give the game my all.”

Jaiteh was a key figure in the starting five before her injury, playing lighter minutes until she got the starting nod against Eastern Washington.

Looking ahead, the Hornets stand at 10-10 (4-3 in the Big Sky) on the season, flying to Montana to face No. 1-seeded Montana State on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m.

“I’m really proud of this group. We just grind it out,” Kallhoff said. “Nothing’s ever pretty, but we stayed the course today.”

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About the Contributor

Andrew A. Brown, Sports Staffer

(he/him) Andrew A. Brown is a fourth-year journalism major in his third semester in The State Hornet, continuing to cover sports. He is currently the women’s basketball beat writer. He is passionate and dedicated to the world of sports on the collegiate and professional level. Outside of the newsroom, Brown spends time playing basketball and reading various genres of literature.