Hornets welcomed to the jungle by Tigers in fourth straight loss

Surrounded by a looming fog in Stockton, Calif. and the roaring fans of the University of the Pacific, the Sacramento State Hornets fell short of breaking their three-game losing streak on Thursday, Dec. 4.

The lead flickered between both teams throughout the first half, with Pacific finding an answer for every point the Hornets conjured up.

In the first quarter, redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg and sophomore guard Rubi Gray started the Hornets off on the offensive side through scoring mid-range jumpers and slicing through open lanes in the paint.

By the end of the first quarter, Gray scored 12 points and finished with 21 at the end of the night. She shot 9-for-15 from the field, her third game scoring 20 or more this season.

Earlier in the week, Gray spent extra hours in the Nest with a shot trainer, taking shots beyond the arc as the moonlight filled the night sky.

“I’m always working my body into the ground, so that’s what I contribute all of my success to,” Gray said. “It doesn’t come from nothing. I put in the work behind the scenes, and it’s finally paying off.”

Versteeg contributed 13 points, marking her and Gray as the only Hornets to score more than four total points.

Versteeg played a physical, fast-paced approach to offense, often finishing plays crashing down on the hardwood afterward.

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After halftime, both teams traded the lead, in a pattern similar to the first half.

Entering the fourth, the Tigers clawed to a one-point lead, leaving time for the Hornets to take back control of the game.

Junior forward Elizabeth Abiara kept the Hornets in the hunt on both sides of the ball. Abiara caught 10 rebounds, half coming from the offensive glass.

“It’s easy to get the offensive rebound,” Abiara said. “Just got to work harder than the person next to you, right?”

Senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh has been out since sustaining an injury against UC Davis, and her spot in the starting group has been filled by junior forward Keanna Salave’a.

Stepping up to the occasion, Salave’a got physical, applying pressure to the Tigers who entered the paint. Though Salave’a guarded the paint, the Tigers launched an attack beyond the arc that the Hornets couldn’t control, leading to 62% shooting from the Tigers in the fourth.

The Tigers’ three-point precision led to a 12-4 run that handed the Hornets their fourth straight loss, 67-54.

“[It’s] kind of a backbreaker a little bit,” head coach Aaron Kallhoff said. “We’re going to do things differently, and we’re going to do things very disciplined.”

When asked what discipline looks like for the team and her own skill set, Gray said her focus will be on defense.

“Being able to get through screens, no silly fouls, knowing who I’m playing against and knowing the scout report is important,” Gray said.

Abiara said discipline also ties in with defensive performance.

“Staying down on defense, knowing our scouting report, knowing where we’re supposed to be,” Abiara said.

After a three-game road stretch that took the Hornets all over the Golden State, they return home to play the Simpson Redhawks on Monday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m.

“We’ll get this thing figured out real quick,” Kallhoff said. “We’ve got good kids in that locker room.”