The Hornets fall to 1-3 on the season, while Texas Tech improves to 2-4.

“Obviously it was a great team effort and something for us to build upon," Sacramento State head coach Dan Muscatell said. “To take a top-25 team in a hostile environment down to the wire shows what we can do as a team when we all compete on the same page.”

In front of a crowd of 11,295 at United Spirit Arena, Sacramento State initially trailed Texas Tech 5-0, before going on a 10-2 run that included two three-pointers from senior Lindsey Heard.

Heard finished the game with eight points and two rebounds, while the Hornets were led by Cindy Alldrin’s 14 points and seven rebounds.

“Cindy started the game not playing very well, but played herself back into the game,” Muscatell said. “That really showed her maturity on the court. Lindsey gave us a spark early on, and forced Texas Tech into making some personnel changes. It made the game a chessmatch from the coaching perspective.”

The Hornets then extended their 10-7 lead in the first half to a seven-point lead (18-11), their largest of the game, with just over 10 minutes remaining until the break on a jumper from Katelyn Ciampi.

But the Lady Raiders were able to respond, tying the game at 24-24 with 3:32 remaining and ending the half on a 6-2 run, giving Texas Tech a 30-26 lead at the break.

Sacramento State’s defense, which is forcing opponents into 20.3 turnovers per game, forced the Lady Raiders into a game-high 20 turnovers and also held them to 63 points, tying Texas Tech''s lowest scoring total of the season.

The Hornets came up with a game-high 12 steals, led by Stephanie Cherry’s four. The Suisun, Calif., native scored in double figures for the second consecutive game, adding 10 points and also bringing down six rebounds.

“We were unbelievably sharp defensively,” Muscatell said. “Our weakside help was as good as any team I have ever coached. Stephanie set the tone of the game guarding Erin Grant, and cutting off her penetration, which allowed us to play defense.”

Grant, the Lady Raiders’ starting point guard who received first team all-Big XII honors a year ago, finished the game with 14 points and seven assists.

Texas Tech held onto its lead throughout much of the second half, with the Hornets cutting it down to 52-47 on a layup from Cherry with 4:19 remaining, but the Lady Raiders’ leading scorer, LaToya Davis, scored eight of her game-high 24 points on Texas Tech’s next five possessions to hold off Sacramento State. Davis also finished with nine rebounds.

Sacramento State senior Ashley Cadotte added nine points and nine rebounds, continuing to lead the team averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.

It is the second consecutive season that the Hornets have traveled to Lubbock, falling by the score of 83-37 just a year ago.

“You can’t underestimate the experience of playing in an environment like this,” Muscatell said. “You can’t create it – you have to experience it. Our players came into this game with a completely different mindset from a year ago. Last year they were wide-eyed and gawking, but this year, they new what to expect and it allowed them to focus on what was happening on the court and not their surroundings.”

After playing three of its first four games on the road, the Hornets return to the Nest for a two-game homestand, hosting Gonzaga at 5:05 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5, in doubleheader with the men’s team, who will be taking on Long Beach State at 7:35 p.m.