WOMEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS TOUGH 70-64 DECISION TO IDAHO STATE

2/26/2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Sacramento State women’s basketball team dropped a 70-64 decision to the Idaho State Bengals on Thursday, Feb. 26 at the Hornets Nest.

With the loss, the Hornets fall to 7-20 overall, 5-9 in the Big Sky Conference, while Idaho State improves to 9-18, 6-8 in the Big Sky.

After the two teams battled back and forth to start the contest, Idaho State took a 28-20 lead on a made three-pointer by Oana Iacovita with 7:45 to play in the first half. The Hornets responded to post an 8-0 run over the next 1:36 to tie the score at 28-28, with sophomore Jasmine Cannady (Sacramento, Calif.) knocked down a pair of three-pointers, sandwiched around a made layup by sophomore Emily Christensen (El Dorado Hills, Calif.).

The Bengals rebounded to outscore the Hornets 11-7 the remaining 6:09 of the half to take a 39-35 advantage into the locker room. Iacovita scored 22 first half points on 10-of-13 shooting, helping negate Sacramento State’s 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) shooting in the first 20 minutes.

Idaho State controlled the second half of play, as although their lead would grow no larger than nine in the period, the Hornets did not have a lead or a share of the lead in the stanza. The closest Sacramento State would get in the half was one at 50-49 with 11:07 remaining on a three-pointer by Christensen, but the Bengals immediately responded with a 5-0 run to retake a six point lead at 55-49.

After a made three-pointer by junior Erika Edwards (Redmond, Wash) that cut the deficit to five points at 63-58 with 4:08 remaining, the Hornets ended three straight possessions with turnovers and were unable to pull closer.

“The game was a good back and forth battle and they (Idaho State) not only made the plays they needed to, but they got the plays from different places,” head coach Dan Muscatell said following the loss. “We were playing with too great of a sense of urgency offensively in the second half, and defensively we weren’t playing with enough urgency.

“They made the big shot, which also says that we didn’t make the big stop.” Muscatell said. “Give Idaho State credit for their performance, and now we have to move on and get ready to play Weber (State) on Saturday.”

Christensen scored a career-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, a 1-of-1 mark from three-point distance, and a 3-of-4 performance at the foul line. Cannady finished the game with nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds, making 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc. After going the first 53 games of her career without making more than two three-pointers in a game, Cannady has made three three-point field goals each of the last two games.

Freshman Nneka Payne (Auburn, Wash.) scored eight points off the bench, while senior Atty Boyer (Sacramento, Calif.) added eight points and six rebounds. Edwards finished the game with seven points and 10 rebounds, marking her Big Sky-leading 11th double-figure rebounding game of the season.

As a team, the Hornets were limited to 12-of-37 (32.4 percent) shooting in the second half, ending the game with a 42.2 percent (27-of-64) mark.

Idaho State was led by Iacovita’s career-high 30 points and nine rebounds, while Jenna Brown added 14 points for the Bengals, who improved to 26-0 lifetime against the Hornets. Michele Grohs (14 points) and Devin Diehl (10 points) also added double-figures, while Shelia Adams made her one field goal attempt, a three-pointer with 4:30 to play, count, on her way to three-points. Idaho State did not have a player from off the bench score, as Sacramento State held a 39-0 advantage in bench points.

The Hornets, who now fall into a tie with Northern Arizona at 5-9 for seventh in the conference, one half-game out of fifth,  host the 4-10 Weber State Wildcats on Saturday, Feb. 28. The game will serve as the Hornets’ designated Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone game, where both team’s will wear pink accessories to promote breast cancer prevention and awareness. Fans, who are encouraged to wear pink, will be able to purchase pink ribbons at the game, with all of the proceeds going to Mercy Hospital. Donations of all sizes will also accepted at the door.

Pepsi Kids Day is also set for Saturday, as there will be a free basketball clinic following the game run by Sacramento State head coach Dan Muscatell, his coaching staff, and players. Kids ages 13 and under are invited to participate in the clinic, with the first 100 to come to the game receiving a free basketball following the game.

The Hornets will also look to break the school’s all-time attendance record in the NCAA Pack the House promotion, which will also take place on Saturday.