SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Junior guard Sydney Gatson was named co-Big Sky Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after leading Sacramento State to a 1-1 record last week, including the team’s first conference road win since the 1998-99 season.Gatson shared the award with Montana’s Crystal Baird, who averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games last week.
The Concord, Calif., native averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds on 62.5 percent shooting (10-16) from the field. The co-captain scored a team-high 17 points, including seven of the team’s final 11 points, in the Hornets’ victory over Montana State last week. Gatson went 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the three-point line, and recorded five rebounds and a game-high tying three steals. The junior knocked down a three-pointer to put Sacramento State on top, 58-56, with 4:31 remaining in the contest as the Hornets never trailed again the rest of the way.
The victory at Montana State snapped a 36-game losing streak against Big Sky competition, a 60-game losing streak against Div. I opposition, a 30-game losing streak on the road against Big Sky teams and an overall 13-game losing streak. Montana State, which is currently ranked second in the Big Sky standings, had won each of its last 23 games at home prior to the loss to the Hornets.
In Thursday’s game against Montana, Gatson scored seven points on 3-of-6 shooting to go along with two rebounds and two steals.
Among team leaders, Gatson is currently second on the team in minutes (31.5 per game) and assists (2.8 per game), fourth in scoring (8.4 points per game) and fifth in rebounding (4.5 per game).
Gatson becomes the second Sacramento State player to garner the conference player of the week award, joining junior Diane Peterson who received the honor on January 13.
Sacramento State (3-23, 1-12 Big Sky) wraps up its season this Saturday, March 8, against Northern Arizona at the Hornets Nest.
