The Hornets’ contests against Idaho State and Weber State will be broadcast live on www.hornetsports.com by clicking on the “Live Audio” link and scrolling down to the women’s basketball schedule.

On Jan. 14, junior Tyeisha Brown scored a career-high 24 points while the Hornets shot 47.9 percent from the floor as Sacramento State earned its first victory of the season with a 56-50 win over Portland State at the Stott Center. The game marked the first Big Sky Conference game for both schools and the first win for the Hornets under first-year head coach Dan Muscatell.

In the first half, Sacramento State and Portland State went through two lead changes and four ties before the Vikings led by six (14-8) at the 11:49 mark. The Hornets tied the game for a fifth time (14-14) before using a 12-2 run to secure their largest lead of the half (26-16) with 5:56 remaining. The Vikings answered with a quick 4-0 run in the final 2:34 to make it a 31-25 contest at the half. Sacramento State shot 53.8 percent (14-for-26) from the floor while holding the Vikings to 42.3 percent (11-of-26).

In the second half, Sacramento State slowly pushed its lead to a game-high 12 points (46-34) with 10:59 remaining. Portland State cut the margin to 47-41 at the 5:58 mark before the Hornets pushed the lead back to 53-41(3:49) with a 6-0 run. The Vikings made a final push with a 9-0 run to make it 53-50 with 1:30 remaining, but the Hornets converted three free throws to put the contest away.

On Jan. 16, sophomore Katelyn Ciampi scored a team-high 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor but Sacramento State fell to Eastern Washington, 67-49, at Reese Court.

In the first half, the two squads exchanged leads in the first five minutes of the game before the Eagles used a 7-0 run to lead 11-4 at the 13:09 mark. EWU increased their lead to 14 (23-9) with 7:38 remaining before leaving the floor with a 31-20 lead at the half.

In the second frame, Sacramento State cut the lead to 34-26 at the 17:31 mark, but could not get below 10 points the rest of the way as the Eagles used a 14-2 run (44-28) to put the game out of reach.

A LOOK AT THIS WEEK''S OPPONENTS

Idaho State is 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky after falling to Montana on Jan. 15 before defeating Montana State on Jan. 17.

In the game against Montana State, Annie Anderson finished with a game-high 21 points, including an 11-for-11 performance from the charity strip, as the Bengals recorded an 82-69 win.

Against Montana, four Grizzlies finished with double-figure scoring as Montana shot 49.2 percent from the floor (31-63) en route to a 76-66 victory.

Weber State is 7-8, 1-1 after defeating Montana State (Jan. 15) before falling to Montana (Jan. 17).

Against Montana, Julie Gjertsen finished with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Wildcats rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to earn the 63-60 win.

Against Montana State, Gjertsen tallied 23 points while the Wildcats shot 52.9 percent from the field (27-51) including a 72.7 percent effort from behind the three-point line (8-for-11) for the 78-58 win.

HEAD COACH DAN MUSCATELL

Dan Muscatell became the sixth Sacramento State women’s basketball head coach in the program’s 38-year history, after spending the past four seasons as an assistant at Oregon (1999-03). He earned his first win with the Hornets on Jan. 14 with a 56-50 win at Portland State.

While at Oregon, Muscatell was involved in all aspects of the program, including the coordination of recruiting efforts and the coaching of offense and defense. He also worked with both the perimeter and post players.

The Everett, Wash., native was responsible for bringing in one of the nation’s top recruiting classes in 2001, a six-member class that was ranked 17th in the nation by All-Star Girls Report. Muscatell also coached or recruited current WNBA players Edneisha Curry (Phoenix Mercury), Jenny Mowe (L.A. Sparks), Angelina Wolvert (Cleveland Rockers) and Shaquala Williams (L.A. Sparks).

During his four years at Oregon, the Ducks were ranked in the top 25 during three of those seasons, including two top-10 finishes in 2000 and 2001. The program also combined to post a record of 74-49 while capturing two NCAA Tournament berths (2000 and 2001), a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) title (2002) and a Pac-10 crown (2000).

FAMILIAR FACES

One of the first moves by Muscatell when he took over the program was to create a coaching staff that would be a reflection of himself. Within a month, Muscatell had accomplished this feat by hiring Lindsey Dion, Karen Piers and Shaquala Williams. The catch is that each individual had been a player under Muscatell while he was an assistant coach at Oregon.

Dion, who starred four years at Oregon as a student-athlete (1997-01), brings two years of coaching experience to Sacramento State. The Fresno, Calif., native spent the past year (2002-03) as an assistant at Seattle Pacific after serving as a student assistant with Muscatell at Oregon during the 2001-02 season. She finished her collegiate career with 639 points, 306 rebounds, 197 assists, 101 steals and two Pac-10 championships (1999 and 2000) in 108 games.

Piers, a native of Truro, Nova Scotia, spent the past year (2002-03) as an assistant at Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro, Nova Scotia. A three-year player at Oregon (1998-00), Piers helped lead the Ducks to back-to-back Pacific-10 titles in 1999 and 2000 while also reaching the NCAA Tournament all three years. For her senior season, she transferred to Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigosh, Nova Scotia, to pursue a major in kinetics. A team captain with the X-Men, Piers earned all-AUAA honors after finishing fourth in the country in three-point shooting percentage (.450).

Williams, a native of Portland, Ore., begins her coaching career at Sacramento State after completing her first season in the WNBA as a guard. Williams, who helped lead the L.A. Sparks to the WNBA Finals, was a four-year player at Oregon (1999-03) under Muscatell. She still ranks sixth in points (1,478), fifth in assists (369), third in three-pointers made (144) and first in free-throw percentage (.839) in the Oregon career record books. Williams helped lead the Ducks to back-to-back Pacific-10 titles in 1999 and 2000 while also reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and 2001.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

After the first eight games of the season, Sacramento State gave up an average of 74.0 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot 46.0 percent from the floor. In the Hornets’ last seven games, the squad has allowed 52.0 points per game and a 35.2 shooting percentage.

In its last six contests, Sacramento State has not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 40.0 percent from the floor.

In the Big Sky team rankings, the Hornets are currently second in steals (9.93 spg), fourth in three-point field goal percentage defense (.332 apg), and fifth in blocked shots (3.20 bpg) and defensive field goal percentage (.409). Sacramento State dropped its defensive field goal percentage from .442 on Dec. 29.

BROWN BEGINNING TO EMERGE

Since becoming a regular staple in the Hornet starting five on Dec. 9, junior Tyeisha Brown has slowly developed into the heart and sole of the Sacramento State squad.

The Vallejo, Calif., native currently leads the squad with 127 points (8.5 ppg) and 33 steals (2.20 spg) while also ranking third in assists (19, 1.27 apg), and fifth in rebounds (52, 3.5 rpg) and blocked shots (four). In Big Sky Conference play, Brown leads all Hornets with an average of 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. Brown also ranks fourth in the Big Sky with 33 steals (2.20 spg). Her season-high seven steals against Saint Mary’s placed her tied for second in the program single-game record book.

Brown, who became the first Hornet to surpass 20 points this season, has led the Hornets in scoring on five occasions while also cracking double figures six times.

OWNING THE MIDDLE

Another member of the squad who is still making her presence felt in the paint and among the conference’s statistical leaders is junior Kristine Knowlton.

The native of Cornelius, Ore., ranks second in the Big Sky with 1.50 blocks per game and is tied for second in the conference with 18 blocks on the year. Her five blocks against UC Irvine on Dec. 20 was the second-highest mark in the conference this season. Due to her efforts, Sacramento State currently ranks fifth in the Big Sky with an average of 3.20 per game (48).

Knowlton also ranks second in the Sacramento State career record book and 14th in the Big Sky with 126 blocks. She also holds the program record for most blocks in a contest with eight against Montana State on Jan. 30, 2003.

HORNET NOTABLES

Freshman Jessica Voisard, a native of Mission Viejo, Calif., ranks eighth in the Big Sky with an average of 6.1 rebounds per game (86)...last week, sophomore Katelyn Ciampi shot a combined 8-for-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Martinez, Calif., native leads the Hornets with a .455 field-goal percentage...junior Alyson Thurman, who sat out the last two games due to a sore back, tied her career high with two blocks at Eastern Washington...junior Samania Black is tied for eighth in the Big Sky with 28 steals (1.87 spg)...Sacramento State’s last two Big Sky victories have come on the road.