The Hornets and Lumberjacks opened up the tournament in a quarterfinal game with Sacramento State going in as the sixth seed and Northern Arizona as the third seed.

The Hornets finish their season 8-20 on the year, earning only their second tournament appearance in program history with a Big Sky record of 4-10. The last time Sacramento State earned a Big Sky postseason berth was the 1996-97 season, the program’s first year in the conference.

Sophomore guard Stephanie Cherry led all scorers with 23 points, just two shy of her career high. Cherry, who injured her ankle early in the second half, scored 17 points and hit three three-pointers in the final 20 minutes.

Sacramento State came as close as a 61-56 deficit with 2:05 remaining, after Cherry, a Suisun, Calif., native drained a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

In addition to her double figures she added three rebounds and four steals in her 32 minutes on the floor.

Also scoring in double figures was junior guard Cindy Alldrin with 15 points and sophomore guard Kim Sheehy with 10 points. Sheehy, who was named co-Big Sky Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday, opened up the game scoring the first seven Hornet points.

Sacramento State had a 25-24 lead at the half, after shooting 47.8 percent from the floor in the first period. The Hornets saw their lead erased when Northern Arizona (19-9) went on a 9-0 run to open up the second period, giving the Lumberjacks a 33-25 lead with 16:56 left to play.

A Sheehy three-pointer, which proved to be her final points of the night, gave Sacramento State its first field goal of the second half with 16:36 remaining.

The Lumberjacks, who shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the second half, were led by Nicky Eason’s 15 points. Eason was named co-Big Sky Newcomer of the Year along with Sheehy. Almost as deadly was Kim Winkfield’s 11 points as she finished 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Also in double figures were Alyssa Wahl with 14 points and Megan Rice with 10.

The Lumberjacks took their largest lead of the game, 45-32, on Winkfield’s second three-pointer of the final half. Sacramento State chipped away at the lead with two consecutive steals converted into layups by Cherry and Alldrin, bringing the score to 45-38 with 9:02 remaining.

Cherry then added two three-pointers and a lay-up in the next four minutes, keeping Northern Arizona’s lead at 53-46 with 5:44 remaining.

The first half had seven lead changes, with the Hornets taking their biggest lead of the game, 21-16, on a Cherry layup with 5:03 remaining in the first half.

In the first 20 minutes, the Hornets were led by 10 points from Alldrin, while Cherry added six points, three rebounds and three steals in the first period.

Junior forward Katelyn Ciampi led the team in rebounding with seven…Sacramento State created nine steals, but turned the ball over 17 times…the Lumberjacks outrebounded the Hornets 32-29…Northern Arizona shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the second half and 49.1 percent for the game.

Hornet accomplishments in 2004-05: Sacramento State’s eight wins are the most since the 1995-96 season…the Hornets’ eight wins over Division I teams are the most since the 1995-96 season... the Hornets'' four Big Sky wins are the most since the 1999-00 season...the team''s three road wins are the most since the 1993-94 season...the Hornets'' five home wins are the most since the 1999-00 season...the team''s two Big Sky home wins are the most for the program since the 1999-00 season...the Hornets'' two Big Sky road wins are the most in program history...when Sacramento State defeated Montana State, on Jan. 20, it was their first Big Sky win at the Nest since the 2000-01 ...Sacramento State also swept Eastern Washington this season, it was only the second time the Hornets swept a team since joining the Big Sky Conference...Brown, who has a team-high 59 steals, is now tied for eighth in program history for steals in a single season...Sheehy has sunk 55 three-pointers this season, placing her second in program history for three-pointers made in a single season…Sheehy was also the first player in program history to receive the Newcomer of the Year award and was the first player since the 2000-01 season to be named to the all-conference team.