WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COLLECTS FIRST EVER ROAD WIN AT NAU WITH 62-53 TRIUMPH

1/19/2008

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Behind a combined 36 points from their four post players, the Sacramento State women's basketball team defeated Northern Arizona for the first time in school history on the road, by a final score of 62-53 on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Walkup Skydome.

With the win, the Hornets improve to 4-13 on the season, 2-3 in Big Sky Conference play, while the Lumberjacks fell to 5-13, 1-4 in the Big Sky. Sacramento State also put an end to a 30 game road losing streak, which dated back to Jan. 19, 2006.

The homestanding Lumberjacks got things going quickly, pushing out to a 4-0 lead before the Hornets would respond. A jumper from junior Becca Reams (Foresthill, Calif.), followed by a three-pointer by freshman Sami Field-Polisso (Mountain View, Calif.), would give the Hornets a 5-4 lead. Following two free throws from NAU's Ashley Ingle which regained her team the lead at 6-5, junior Atty Boyer (Sacramento, Calif.) scored on a layup to give the Hornets a lead they would relinquish at 7-6 with 16:26 to go in the first half.

The Hornets would extend the lead to eight early with a 9-1 run, highlighted by a pair of field goals from junior Jourdan Willard (Sacramento, Calif.), at 15-7 with 13:53 remaining. The Lumberjacks worked the remainder of the half to cut down the lead, getting it down to a one point halftime margin on layup by Laura Dinkins on their final possession, 28-27.

The second half saw the Hornets open with a 10-0 run, which included a three-point make by junior Erika Edwards (Redmond, Wash.), a pair of baskets by Reams, and a three-pointer by freshman Tika Koshiyama-Diaz (San Jose, Calif.) that bounded straight up off of the back iron before swishing into the net. Northern Arizona would continue to claw away at the lead, cutting the margin to four points on three occasions, including as late as 3:37 remaining in the game. But the Hornets did their job making free throws, hitting 19-of-21 on the game (90.5 percent), and 7-of-8 in the final five minutes of the contest (87.5 percent).

The Hornet post players led the way in scoring, but did a majority of their damage from the foul line and from beyond the three-point arc. Edwards and Reams led the way with 11 points each, with Edwards knocking down 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc and 3-of-4 from the line and Reams shooting 1-of-2 from downtown and 2-of-2 from the line. Off the bench, Boyer added 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the line, while Willard finished with four points, all of them coming in the Hornets first half run.

On the perimeter, Field Polisso finished with nine points and dished out five assists to just one turnover, while Koshiyama-Diaz scored seven points in a career-high 19 minutes.

The Lumberjacks were led by Sade Cunningham with 14 points, while Ingle posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while adding 5 blocks.

The Hornets outshot NAU 41.3 percent to 29.3 percent, while knocking down 41.7 percent (5-of-12) of their three-pointers. Sacramento State outrebounded the Lumberjacks 41-30, while scoring 25 points off the bench, to the Lumberjacks seven.

Sacramento State returns to action on Thu., Jan. 24 as they host the Weber State Wildcats at the Hornets Nest. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.