Gonzaga (3-0) had three players finish in double figures, led by Michelle Elliottt’s career-high 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including knocking down four three-pointers.

“ We started out really playing well,” Sacramento State head coach Dan Muscatell said. “But as we got tired, we quit executing and began to panic. We could never get back in sync for that entire run. We ran into a team that was playing really well.

Everything they seemed to do was with ease. We couldn’t get them out of rhythm and they kept us out of rhythm.”

Sacramento State (1-1) was led by senior guard Kim Sheehy’s 13 points and three buckets from beyond the arc. Muscatell also changed his starting lineup, inserting freshman forward Erika Edwards.

At the 15:59 mark of the first half, the Hornets trailed 9-8 after an Edwards’ three-pointer, but the Bulldogs went on a 14-5 run over the next seven minutes to build a double-digit, 23-13, lead. Gonzaga then broke the game wide open holding Sacramento State scoreless from the 8:56 mark until Sheehy scored with seven seconds remaining in the half. Gonzaga’s run was 23-2 and a big part of that stretch was due to Elliott’s accuracy.

She established her career high by the halftime buzzer, connecting on 8-of-9 first-half shots, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, as she single-handedly outscored the Hornets and had nearly half the Bulldogs total while taking a 46-15 halftime lead.

Also in double figures for Gonzaga was Sasha Polishchuk with 12 points and Katy Ridenour with 11 points and three steals.

Gonzaga shot 54.0 percent from the floor and 44.0 percent from behind the three-point line, while the Hornets shot 35.4 percent.

Sacramento State outrebounded Gonzaga 31-29, including pulling down 13 offensive rebounds. Sophomore Atty Boyer added seven points for the Hornets while senior guard Stephanie Cherry contributed six.

“We competed very hard in the second half and the intensity we brought got us some rebounds,” Muscatell said. “Atty got involved and we executed better. The first half of the game was an extension of our game against Bethany, but in the second half, we were able to play better. It is a good thing we are getting back on the court tomorrow.”

Sacramento State travels to Washington State tomorrow and ends its road trip at Idaho on Sunday. The Hornets then travel to Honolulu for the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic, where they will play second-ranked North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 24, in the first of three games.