Junior Nichole Hardaway

After the Hornets pulled to within one point of the Gael lead (45-44) with 5:57 to play, Saint Mary’s finished the game on a 19-12 run. Saint Mary’s went 9-of-10 from the free throw line during the final 1:02 of the contest (including 6-of-6 from Danielle Ferris) to secure the victory.

With the win, Saint Mary’s has won four of its last five games while improving to 7-5. Sacramento State, which is now 0-11 against the Gaels since joining the Div. I ranks prior to the 1991-92 season, fell to 1-9 this season.

Jackson’s double-double came on 12-of-22 shooting from the field as the sophomore scored nearly 50 percent of the Gaels’ points. Lindsay Lopez joined Jackson in double figures with 13 points. Saint Mary’s, which shot just 34.5 percent (20-58) from the field, converted on 14 more free throws than the Hornets (23-9) and finished the game shooting 74.2 percent (23-31) from the charity stripe.

Sacramento State was led by junior Danielle Iceman’s 13 points. In her first game in nearly two years, junior Nichole Hardaway finished with a double-double, tallying 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Hardaway, who had been ineligible since Jan. 6, 2001, was deemed eligible to play earlier today after her fall grades were posted. The 13 rebounds was the highest output by a Hornet this season.

Sophomore Hornet Kristine Knowlton finished with seven points, a season-high 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Sarah Craig was held to single digits for the first time all season after finishing with seven points, three assists and four steals. The freshman had scored at least 12 points in every game she had appeared.

Sacramento State shot 35.0 percent (21-60) from the field, while converting on a season-high five three-pointers, including two each by Diane Peterson and Crystal Conley.

Saint Mary’s largest lead of the contest was nine points (37-28) at the 12:17 mark of the second half. Sacramento State closed to within four points (38-34) after a three-point play by Hardaway at the 10:21 mark. The Gaels never trailed during the entire second half as the team matched its largest lead of nine points during the waning moments of the contest.

Sacramento State plays the second game of its season-long six-game homestand this Saturday, Jan. 4, against Southern Utah at 7:05 p.m. The team also faces San Jose Christian (Jan. 9), San Diego State (Jan. 11), Portland State (Jan. 16) and Eastern Washington (Jan. 18) during the homestand.