SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento State women's basketball team will hit the road this weekend for a pair of Big Sky Conference games at Montana and Montana State.
The Hornets (8-16, 3-8 Big Sky) will visit the Lady Griz (13-10, 6-4) at 6:05 p.m. PT on Thursday before playing the Bobcats (15-8, 7-4) at 1:05 p.m. PT on Saturday.
MONTANA BREAKDOWN
Record: 13-10, 6-4 Big Sky (Fifth)
All-Time Div. I Series: 1-30
Last Meeting: L, 88-79 (1/21/12)
Notable: Montana has won two of its last three games, including at Montana State. Katie Baker and Kenzie De Boer both average double figures in scoring for the Lady Griz.
MONTANA STATE BREAKDOWN
Record: 15-8, 7-4 Big Sky (Third)
All-Time Div. I Series: 6-27
Last Meeting: L, 76-71 (1/19/12)
Notable: Montana State started conference play with a 6-2 record but has lost two of its last three. Katie Bussey needs five made 3FGs to break the Big Sky career record.
KUHNS LEADS NCAA IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Kylie Kuhns ranks No. 1 in the nation with 18 double-doubles this season. No other player in the NCAA has more than 15. Kuhns has 33 career double-doubles after she paced the Big Sky with 13 as a sophomore and had two in her freshman campaign. This year she has a double-double in all but six of 24 games. After missing on a double-double in the second game of the season at Oklahoma on Nov. 13, she recorded 13 straight, until she was held to six points at UNC on Jan. 7.
KUHNS NO. 4 IN NCAA REBOUNDING
Kylie Kuhns ranks No. 1 in the Big Sky Conference and No. 4 in the NCAA with 12 rebounds per game. Kuhns has posted at least 10 rebounds in all but three of 22 games with a season-high 17 at UC Irvine on Dec. 11. She set the single-game school record with 23 boards last year in a win versus San Francisco and finished her sophomore season ranked No. 12 in the nation with 11.0 rpg.
A HELPING HAND
Sacramento State ranks No. 5 in the NCAA averaging 18.5 assists per game. Freshman Fantasia Hilliard leads the team and is No. 2 in the Big Sky with 4.8 apg while each of the other four regular starters average at least two apg.
TOP-NOTCH THIEVES
As a team, Sacramento State ranks No. 9 in the NCAA with 13.1 steals per game. Individually, the Hornets boast three players ranked in the top-10 of the Big Sky in steals per game. Alle Moreno ranks No. 3 (2.6), Kylie Kuhns is No. 6 (2.2) and Fantasia Hilliard is No. 8 (2.0). Over the last two games, Mallorie Franco has 10 steals after recording a career-high six against Eastern Washington.
TWIN 1,000 POINT SCORERS
Senior Emily Christensen became the ninth player in school history to tally 1,000 career points on Jan. 19 against Montana State while junior Kylie Kuhns joined her on Feb. 4 versus Eastern Washington. The pair joined Kristy Ryan (2,064), Heidi Carroll (1,729), Sarah Stapp (1,438), Julie Watsell (1,322), Terri Lugert (1,306), Charday Hunt (1,237), Teresa Hampton (1,023) and Shelby Boudreaux (1,013) in the Sacramento State record books as 1,000 point scorers. It is only the second time in school history when two 1,000 point scorers played on the same team (1995-96, Shelby Boudreaux and Sarah Stapp.)
FIRST TIME AROUND VS. MONTANA (L, 88-79)
The Sacramento State women’s basketball team outscored Montana by nine in the second half but it was not enough to overcome an 18-point halftime deficit as the Hornets lost, 88-79, to the Lady Griz on Jan. 21. Freshman point guard Fantasia Hilliard had a career-high 21 points while three other Hornets also scored in double-figures but it was too little too late as Montana held on down the stretch for a nine point win. Kylie Kuhns had her NCAA-best 16th double-double and second straight after posting 10 points and 15 rebounds. The junior is No. 3 in the nation, averaging 12.2 rebounds per game. Montana was paced by forward Katie Baker’s 22 points and eight boards while point guard Torry Hill went 3-for-5 from 3-point land en route to 19 points and six assists.
FIRST TIME AROUND VS. MSU (L, 76-71)
Senior Emily Christensen became just the ninth player in school history to reach 1,000 career points on Jan. 20 against Montana State but the Bobcats spoiled the evening with a late rally to defeat the Sacramento State women’s basketball team, 76-71.
Entering the contest, Christensen needed 18 points to reach 1,000 and scored a game-high 19 points against the Bobcats. Despite Christensen’s best efforts, however, the Hornets could not hold off a late Montana State rally on Thursday night. After the ninth tie in the game, Mallorie Franco hit a jumper with 2:42 remaining on the clock to give the Hornets a 69-67 lead. Montana State’s Ashley Albert responded with a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:29 left to play before Katie Bussey, who entered the game third in the conference averaging 17.5 points per game, nailed another 3-pointer from the top of the key with just 51 seconds left. The Bobcats led by four after the shot and sank some free throws in the final minute before winning, 76-71. Montana State led by as much as 16 points in the first half before the Hornets closed the halftime gap to seven.
