Sophomore Danielle Iceman

Sacramento State will look for its first win of the season this week as the team plays on the road against Big Sky Conference-foes Montana State (Thursday, Jan. 24, 6:05 p.m.) and Montana (Saturday, Jan. 26, 6:35 p.m.). The Hornets dropped to 0-3 in the conference after losing big at Northern Arizona (101-29) last week. The team will bring an 0-16 overall mark into Thursday’s contest and has now lost 26-straight games dating back to last season.

In addition, the Hornets have lost 12 straight on the road and 21 in a row away from home against Big Sky competition. Since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97, Sacramento State is 2-39 against conference foes on the road (wins at Cal State Northridge in 1996-97 and Eastern Washington in 1998-99). Of those 39 losses, 12 have come against the Montana schools as the team is a combined 0-12 on the road at Montana and Montana State.

Montana State will enter Thursday’s game with a 9-8 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the Big Sky. The Bobcats are currently third in the conference and have won three of their last four games. The team is 6-3 at home, including convincing victories over both Portland State and Eastern Washington. Montana State has played at home only two times in its last 10 games after beginning the season on a seven-game homestand.

Montana, which hosts Northern Arizona on Friday, enters the week all alone in first place in the Big Sky standings with a 4-0 conference record. The Grizzlies, who are 12-5 overall, have won each of their four Big Sky games by at least eight points, including a 76-59 victory at Weber State last week. The Grizzlies were selected to finish first in the conference in the preseason poll.

Head Coach Carolyn Jenkins

On May 30, 2000, Carolyn Jenkins became the fifth Sacramento State women’s basketball coach in the program’s 35-year history. Jenkins, now in her second season, owns a career 3-39 record. The Fresno, Calif., native came to the Hornets after serving four years (1996-2000) as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Michigan State. Prior to the that, the 32-year old Fresno Basketball Hall of Fame electee was an assistant at Stanford from 1991-95.

While at Michigan State, the 1990 graduate of UC Berkeley spearheaded a recruiting class that was ranked among the top-25 in the country on three occasions (1996-97 through 1998-99). During her stint at Stanford, the team reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament all four years including two Final Four appearances (1991-92 and 1994-95) and a national championship in 1991-92.

In addition to her eight years of coaching at the intercollegiate level, she was also a floor coach for both the U.S. Pan American team (1993) and the U.S. Senior National Team (1994).

A Look at Last Week

Saturday, Northern Arizona tied its program record for most points scored (101) and set the program record for fewest points allowed (29) as the Lumberjacks dealt Sacramento State a 101-29 loss at Walkup Skydome.

Sacramento State tied its own program record for largest margin of defeat (72 points). The Lumberjacks began the game on a 24-2 run and never looked back as the 72-point spread was the team’s largest lead of the night. NAU, which was led by Constance Richard’s 26 points, shot 50.6 percent (41-81) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-15) from beyond the three-point line while outrebounding the Hornets, 51-25.

Sacramento State turned the ball over 33 times and recorded just five offensive rebounds. Only four Hornets scored in the game, led by Alyson Thurman’s 19 points and eight rebounds. The sophomore finished 9-of-19 from the field as no other Hornet scored more than four points.

Tough Times

It’s no secret that the Hornets are in a rebuilding process and have struggled to find their form this season. The team has lost each of its 16 games and has dropped 26-straight dating back to last season. The 0-16 start and the losing streak are both program worsts as the Hornets have not won since defeating Portland State at home on Jan. 27, 2001. Sacramento State has lost by an average of 34.3 points per game and has yet to hold a halftime lead this season. The Hornets’ largest lead of the season (five points) came in the first half against Air Force. Besides a five-point loss to Army, the Hornets have been outscored by at least 11 points in every other contest.

The team has allowed three opponents to score over 100 points (Colorado State, Wyoming and Northern Arizona) after not allowing an opponent to reach the century mark in each of the last six seasons. Sacramento State currently ranks last in the Big Sky in 11 categories including scoring offense (48.9 ppg), scoring defense (83.2 ppg), field goal percentage (.312), rebounding margin (-6.5) and turnover margin (-12.69).

The Hornets’ most glaring weaknesses have been their field goal percentage and turnovers. The team has converted on just 270 of its 866 field goal attempts. Sacramento State has shot above .400 on two occasions (.421 at San Diego and .463 vs. Weber State) while recording more than 20 field goals on three occasions (24 vs. both San Diego and Army, and 25 vs. Idaho State). Additionally, the team has turned the ball over 459 times, which breaks down to an average of 28.7 miscues per game. The Hornets committed 18 turnovers against Idaho State, marking the only time this season in which the team had turned the ball over less than 20 times.

Finding Her Form

Despite missing the Northern Arizona game with a viral infection, sophomore point guard Sydney Gatson has been playing her best basketball of the season over her past four games. The Concord, Calif., native has scored in double figures three times over that span after doing so just once in the first 38 games of her career. Against Gonzaga on Jan. 2, Gatson recorded career highs in points (17) and rebounds (eight). In the game against Idaho State, the sophomore tallied 10 points and another eight rebounds. She followed up that effort the next night with 10 points, four assists and three steals against Weber State.

Gatson, who has started all but one game in which she has played, redshirted last year with a back injury. She sat out the entire offseason (including fall practices) with the same injury and coaches weren’t sure she’d be able to play again. She hadn’t played in any organized game since March 4, 2000, before stepping back on the floor in the team’s season opener against Colorado State. Although Gatson is still battling the pain in her back on a constant basis, she is fourth on the team in scoring (7.0 ppg) while averaging a team-best 32.9 minutes per game.

Cleaning The Glass

After leading the team in rebounding just once through the first five games, sophomore forward Alyson Thurman has become a monster on the glass of late. The Carson City, Nev., native has at least shared the team lead in rebounding in 10 of the last 11 games while averaging 8.2 rebounds per contest over that span. Overall, the forward leads the squad with 7.0 rebounds per game, a mark that ranks her seventh in the Big Sky Conference. Thurman, whose 16 rebounds against San Jose State were the most by a Hornet this season, has grabbed at least five rebounds in all but two games this year.

She has also turned it up a notch in the scoring column, recording double figures in six of the last 11 games. Thurman scored a career-high 21 points at San Diego and tallied in 19 of the team’s 29 points last week at Northern Arizona. After averaging 3.4 points per game over her first five games, Thurman is averaging 10.3 points over her last 11 contests. Overall, she is now third on the team in scoring (8.1 points per game).

Fresh Faces

Unbelievably, the Hornets return zero players from last season’s roster as the 2001-02 team features a school-record 10 newcomers. Sophomore guard Sydney Gatson, who redshirted last year after back surgery, returns to the active roster after playing all 27 games during the 1999-00 campaign. Sophomore forward Tola Tallman will take a medical redshirt this year after averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.

Of the 10 newcomers, six are junior college transfers, two are freshmen and two are crossover athletes. The current roster features six guards, three forwards and two centers. Besides the two freshmen, the team is also comprised of two redshirts, three sophomores, three juniors and two seniors.

Crossing Over To The Hardwood

After spending the entire fall with the Sacramento State women’s soccer team, senior Lori Kerswell was added to the basketball roster prior to the San Jose State game on Nov. 30. The Citrus Heights, Calif., native, who was a two-time all-Big Sky Conference soccer selection and is second in program history in career assists (12), is averaging 4.0 points in 18.3 minutes per game. Earlier this year against Air Force, she led the team in scoring with 17 points.

Icey Hot

Sophomore power forward Danielle Iceman has been the team’s go-to player for the majority of the season. Prior to last week’s game against Northern Arizona, the Redding, Calif., native had tallied 16, 19 and 18 points, respectively, over her previous three games. Her 19 points against Idaho State was a career high as the sophomore had yet to score more than 14 points in a game prior to the three-game stretch.

The Redding, Calif., native has scored in double figures in all but six contests and is averaging a team-best 10.9 points per game. In addition, she has led the team in scoring on eight occasions. Among team leaders, she is first in field goal percentage (.464) and free throws made (59), and second in rebounding (4.9 per game) and free throw percentage (.720). Iceman, who is one of two Hornets to start all 16 games (Yancey), is now 11th in the Big Sky in scoring.

Block Party

Freshman Kristine Knowlton is averaging 1.6 blocked shots per game, a mark that ties her for third in the Big Sky Conference. The center has recorded at least one block in all but four games, including a career-high five in the Idaho State game. Against conference competition, she averages 2.0 blocks per game, which ties her for the best mark in the Big Sky. At her current pace, she would finish the season with 42 blocked shots, a mark that would place her fifth in program single-season history.

Notables

Among team leaders, junior Kendra Yancey is first in assists (3.1 per game) and three-pointers made (16), second in scoring (8.4 per game), and tied for third in rebounding (4.4 per game)...junior Samantha Miller is averaging 8.5 points per game over her last four contests...the Hornets have been outscored by an average of 18.1 points in the first half and an average of 16.2 points in the second half...Yancey is averaging 4.0 assists per game over the last seven games after averaging 2.1 assists per game over the first eight contests...the team is being outscored by an average of 48 points per game on the road and 21 points at home.