Senior Danielle Iceman and sophomore Katelyn Ciampi each tallied a team-high 10 points but the Hornets could not overcome a late surge by UC Irvine as the Sacramento State women’s basketball team fell to the Anteaters, 55-41, Saturday afternoon at the Hornets Nest. The contest was the first of a scheduled doubleheader with the men’s squad.The Hornets dropped to 0-10 on the year while the Anteaters improved to 1-6.
Ciampi, a native of Martinez, Calif., finished 4-of-6 from the floor (2-for-2 from the free-throw line) while also tallying a team-high nine rebounds. It marked the fourth time she had recorded double-figures this season and second time she has lead the squad in scoring.
Iceman, a native of Redding, Calif., went 4-for-7 from the field (2-of-2 from the line) and registered a a career-best three blocked shots in the contest. The center has now registered double-figure scoring in a team-best five games this season.
Junior Samania Black (five assists and four steals) and junior Kristine Knowlton (five blocked shots) also contribute to the squad.
Christina Calloway (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Kristen Green (14 points, 11 rebounds) each led the Anteaters with a double-double. Courtney Ferguson (12) also cracked double-figures in scoring for UCI.
As a team, the Hornets finished 15-of-51 (.294) from the floor compared to UC Irvine’s 17-for-56 (.304) performance. The Anteaters also out-rebounded the Hornets by a margin of 48-to-33, including a 19-to-9 advantage on the offensive boards. Sacramento State did win at the free-throw line by converting 10-of-14 (.714) compared to 14-of-20 (.700) by UC Irvine. The Hornets also recorded nine blocks in the game.
In the first half, UCI led by three (18-15) at the 5:31 mark before Sacramento State took a 19-18 lead after a lay up by Iceman. The Anteaters answered with an 8-3 run to take a 26-22 halftime lead. Green led UCI with a game-high eight points. Iceman led the Hornets with six points in the first frame.
In the second half, Sacramento State trailed by as many as eight before cutting the deficit to 36-32 at the 11:38 mark. UC Irvine used a 10-2 run to lead 44-32 with 6:36 remaining. The Hornets climbed within six points (45-39) at the 4:07 mark but the Anteaters ended the game with a 10-2 run to seal the contest.
Sacramento State will take a 10 days off before traveling to UC Riverside on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. to take on the Highlanders at the Student Rec Center.
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