Lady Hornets Hoops Troubles
December 2002 | November 2002 | March 2002 | February 2002
The
Sacramento State Hornets women's basketball team was shooting for the record
books. The 2001-2002 season featured no wins and 27 losses. They opened up
the 2002-2003 season with seven convincing losses and their losing streak
stood at 44 games. The record of 58 consecutive losses was within reach and
would have been broken on February 15, 2003 at Portland State. In the 8th
game of the 2002-2003 season everything changed as the Lady Hornets won their
first game since January 27th, 2001, ending an impressive run of 44 straight
losses. What follows are various recaps and notes from moments throughout
the streak:
December 21, 2002:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Freshman Sarah Craig recorded team highs in both
points (18) and rebounds (12), and the Hornets snapped a 44-game losing streak
as Sacramento State defeated Notre Dame de Namur, 77-55, in a non-conference
women’s basketball game Saturday evening in the Hornet Nest.
Sacramento State won for the first time since defeating Portland State at home, 75-56, on Jan. 27, 2001. The Hornets’ losing streak was the second-longest in NCAA Div. I history as Long Island University holds that distinction with 58-consecutive losses from 1986-89.
With the victory, Sacramento State improved to 1-7 as six of its next seven games will be played at home, including a six-game homestand that runs from Jan. 2 until Jan. 18.
Craig’s 18 points came on 9-of-12 shooting as the freshman also added four assists and a steal. A total of five Hornets finished with double figures in points including junior Sydney Gatson (16 points, four rebounds and three assists), senior Crystal Conley (career-high 12 points and a career-high tying seven rebounds), sophomore Kristine Knowlton (career-high 11 points to go along with six rebounds and four blocked shots) and junior Danielle Iceman (10 points and nine rebounds).
Craig’s double-double was the first of the season by a Hornet as Sacramento State recorded team season highs in points (77), field goals (30), field goal percentage (.455, 30-66), rebounds (53) and assists (20). The team’s 77 points were the most scored since Sacramento State tallied 89 points in a victory at UC Riverside on Jan. 20, 2001. Tonight also marked the first time the team had five players score in double figures since an overtime loss to Saint Mary’s on Dec. 6, 1996 (Mary Ann Bowman, Kellie Kuelper, Julie Wastell, Kris Karley and Christine Brockett).
After Notre Dame de Namur jumped out to a 4-2 lead, Sacramento State responded with a 22-0 run to take a 24-4 lead with 11:14 remaining in the first half. The Argonauts would get no closer than within 14 points of the Hornet lead for the remainder of the game. Sacramento State extended its lead to as many as 34 points in the second half.
The Argonauts were led by Rasheeda Smith’s game-high 23 points while Renee Polheber tallied eight points and a team-best nine rebounds.
Sacramento State freshman Katelyn Ciampi missed the game with a stress reaction in her foot and junior Dolores Olivarez missed the entire second half after spraining her foot during the first period.
BMTG Management's Thoughts on "The Streak":
The Diesel:
I am saddened to hear about the Hornets' convincing win. Although I wasn't
there to witness the contest, I would much rather remember those losing ladies
the way they were the last time I saw them, untalented and confused. To see
them win would have forever changed the way I remember "The Streak".
The Streak would have been reduced to simple party banter and not be recalled
as the unbelievably poor display of teamwork and lack of athleticism that
it had meant for so many, including the players themselves. Additionally,
I remember Congo saying he went to a doubleheader once and couldn't bend over
for a week.
The Hornets (0-7), who have lost 44 in a row, opened the second half with a 21-9 run to take their first lead and extended it to a 47-36 advantage with 11:25 to go. But the Highlanders (1-5) outscored the Hornets 29-9 the rest of the way.
Sophomore Casandra Reeves led the Highlanders with 17 points. Sarah Craig and Dolores Olivarez had 13 points each for the Hornets.
Pacific scored 43 points off 33 Sac State turnovers. The Hornets committed 11 turnovers in their first 20 possessions and shot 32.7 percent from the floor. A 29 to 6 run bridging the halves broke open up the game as Pacific improved their record to 2 and 5. The Tigers shot a season-high 54.3 percent (38 of 70) and made 6 of 11 three-point attempts.
Freshman Sarah Craig was the only Hornet to finish in double figures with 12 points.
In fact, in spite of it all -- the wisecracks, the numbers, the history book -- this streak chatter is sliding right off their Sacramento State jerseys, as if someone (PAM?) borrowed that non-stick cooking spray we have heard so much about lately and showered the troops. As if the losses don't add up to the second-longest stretch of futility in NCAA Division I women's basketball, with Long Island's 58-game run in 1986-89 within reach. As if these defeats don't really sting.
"We hear comments all the time," said Sarah Craig, a wide-eyed freshman from Calgary, Alberta. "People on campus are always asking, 'Are you guys ever going to win a game?' When we were in Hawaii a few weeks ago for our tournament, we went back to our hotel room, turned on the television, and the announcers were saying the same thing. 'Sac State has to win a game sometime, don't they?' Even my Dad will ask, 'You girls going to win one tonight, eh?' "
She laughs. She knows the scoop.
While the Hornets fell yet again on Sunday, losing 65-54 to Nevada, the mood remains surprisingly upbeat. Perhaps this explains it: Notre Dame de Namur, an NAIA school, is coming to town Dec. 21. And then there is this: Carolyn Jenkins' squad may be young and overwhelmed at the moment, but the talent pool is improving, and each day provides greater distance from an 0-27 season fraught with season-ending injuries, players lost to academic failings and even a pregnancy.
One of five remaining holdovers, 6-foot-2 center Danielle Iceman, winces at the memories. She recalls bad attitudes and worse luck, and praises Jenkins for her resilience and for retooling the roster. With a little prodding, the former walk-on even forces a grin when asked about the streak.
"I know it will end soon because things are so much better around here this year," said the Redding native. "It's a totally different team. We all believe in what we're trying to do, and you can definitely see the improvement on the court."
True, provided you ignore the final scores. The 0-5 Hornets have been clobbered by UCLA (106-43), Hawaii (79-53) and San Diego (71-45), came within four three-pointers of defeating Cal Poly (60-49) and closed to 52-47 against the Wolf Pack on Sunday before Reno's Laura Ingham drilled a jumper, blew past defenders for a driving layup and calmly sank 11 free throws in the final 59 seconds.
During that deciding second half, Sac State's weaknesses became painfully evident, namely, an overall lack of athleticism, consistent inside scoring threat (Iceman was 0 for 10) and at least one player capable of breaking down defenses. The most encouraging aspect might be that the Hornets' best athlete and leading scorer -- the wiry, exuberant Craig -- was unavailable because Sunday games conflict with her religious beliefs, something Jenkins agreed to accommodate during the recruiting process.
Jenkins, 33, is doing a lot of that these days. Accommodating. Recruiting. Selling. Boosting spirits. Spinning that record. At this point, Sac State is all about sales and future prospects and exposing prep stars to the very elements that convinced Craig to buy in, primarily weather, opportunity, leafy campus setting and location.
A Fresno native, Jenkins is no newcomer to any of this, either the challenge or the area. The third-year head coach played basketball (and all five positions at various times) while earning a degree in economics at Cal, but after working as a financial analyst for a year she quit her day job and joined Tara VanDerveer's staff at Stanford (1991-95). She spent another four years as an assistant at Michigan State before taking over the moribund Hornets program in June 2000.
So the woman definitely has the pedigree. Based on her sideline demeanor and her players' eagerness to execute the offensive and defensive schemes, she projects a sense of competence and a poised, steely confidence.
Whether any of this will be enough to overcome Hornet history and prolong her Sac State career remains to be seen. But her recent recruiting success surely doesn't hurt; the Hornets signed two promising high school seniors, including the much-coveted Jessica Voisard of Mission Viejo, a 5-foot-11 leaper who is regarded as Jenkins' first major prize.
Meantime, there is the streak.
There is that.
December 6, 2002:
Not even a BMTG Road Trip could
help the Hornets, who went on to lose #41 of the incredible streak against
the Toreros of the University of San Diego. The game did feature a classic
smallworld points battle, however, between two of Sac State's diaper dandies.
Katelyn Ciampi, playing for Masten, scored a career high 15 points, and
Sarah Craig, playing for Archie, scored 14. Leading the Hornets with 8 rebounds
and 4 assists, Craig bested Ciampi in smallworld points 22 to 14.5.
December
3, 2002:Freshman Sarah Craig continues to show that she may be the biggest threat to spoil the plan of breaking the 58 game losing streak as she came off the bench to score a team high 18 points on 7 of 14 shooting. The rest of the team shot 9 of 37 (24%). Craig is showing signs of understanding how things are supposed to work as she had 7 turnovers to go with 1 assist. Overall the Hornets had 28 turnovers and 9 assists.
November 26, 2002:
Game 2 is in the books, as well as loss #39 in "The Streak".
Final score: 79-53
Recap:
HONOLULU -- The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Wahine women’s basketball
team captured the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic championship with
a 79-53 victory over Sacramento State Monday evening at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Hawai’i controlled the game throughout to improve to 2-0 on the season. Sacramento State finished the tournament with an 0-2 record as the team lost to UCLA on Sunday.
The Hornets hung tough with Hawai’i early in the contest as the team trailed by one point (11-10) with 13:28 remaining in the first half. The Rainbow Wahine, however, went on a 13-1 run to quickly build a double-digit lead and would cruise from there. The Rainbow Wahine, who never trailed at any point during the contest, led, 44-20, at the half and built their lead to as many as 30 points.
Additional Notes:
Sac State Freshman Sarah Craig came off the bench to score 20 points on 10
of 15 shooting. She was the only bright spot in the latest lopsided defeat.
Without her stats, here is how the rest of the squad fared: shot 9 of 46 (19.6%)
with 7 assists and 14 turnovers.
It was the biggest UCLA margin of victory since 1984 and the Hornets' 38th consecutive loss.
UCLA freshman guard Nikki Blue, a Bakersfield native, finished just short of a triple double with 24 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
The Hornets shot a dismal 18.3 percent (11 of 60) from the field and committed 21 turnovers. The Bruins (1-1) led 53-17 at halftime.
Junior Danielle Iceman, a 6-foot-2 forward/center, led Sac State with 16 points and six rebounds.
The Hornets have not won since Jan. 27, 2001, when they beat Portland State 75-56. Their losing streak ranks third all-time by a Division I women's team, one shy of Chicago State's 39 losses (1993-96). The worst streak belongs to Long Island with 58 losses (1986-89).
March 5, 2002:
The Sac State ladies finished their perfect winless season last Saturday
by losing to Portland State in the final game. Their 0-27 record is the worst
in school history (previous worst was 3-23, which was accomplished twice).
Their 1,292 points (47.9 per game) and 714 turnovers (26.4 per game) for the
season were program lows. They have now lost 37 consecutive games dating back
to January 2001.
Recaps for final 2 games:
vs. Eastern Washington - Eastern Washington scored the first seven points
of each half en route to an easy 73-44 victory. Sac State never held a lead,
making this yet another game where 0-0 was the closest they would ever get.
vs. Portland State - Sac State scored 2 points in the final 11:13 of the first half on their way to a 22-8 first half deficit. In that first half they hit only 4 field goals (4 for 22, 18.2%). Sac State committed 33 turnovers and lost the game 71-43. Five players for Portland State scored in double figures.
Smallworld Stats:
Using the road trip players, the smallworld totals for the final 2 games,
plus the smallworld totals for the season are as follows. Congo's player is
determined by taking the player on the opposite team who scored the second
most points in the game for that team (consistent with the perfomance of Laura
Valley). Congo's player's smallworld points are then cut in half to make it
fair. The following numbers reflect the reduced point total for Congo:
vs.
Eastern Washington
Lori Kerswell (playing for Masten): 16 swp, 40 min
Kathleen Nygaard (playing for Congo): 11 swp, 23 min
Tamica Estrella (playing for Rainman): 5 swp, 40 min
Crystal Conley (playing for Archie): 4 swp, 13 min
vs. Portland State
Tamica Estrella (playing for Rainman): 16.5 swp, 37 min
Sarah Hedgepath (playing for Congo): 14.25 swp, 32 min
Lori Kerswell (playing for Masten): 9.5 swp, 30 min
Crystal Conley (playing for Archie): 1.5 swp, 2 min
Another, and perhaps more fair, method for determining Congo's players for the final 2 Sac State games would be to use the player on the opposing team with the same number as Laura Valley (#32). Using that method, Congo would have the following from the final 2 games (smallworld numbers are reduced in half):
Eastern Washington
#32 Staphanie McKinney: 6.5 swp, 20 min
Portland State
#32 Stacie Kleier: 16.75 swp, 26 min
Season Total:
Lori Kerswell (playing for Masten): 187 swp
30 for 119 FG (25.2%), 55 reb, 43 a, 80 to, 2 bl, 25 st, 95 pts
Tamica Estrella (playing for Rainman): 93 swp
10 for 42 FG (23.8%), 42 reb, 16 a, 38 to, 1 bl, 11 st, 35 pts
Crystal Conley (playing for Archie): 47.5 swp
14 for 69 FG (20.3%), 24 reb, 11 a, 22 to, 3 st, 35 pts
February 23, 2002:
Sacramento, California — Sac State Lady Hornets lost again on Saturday
to Montana State by a score of 69-45. The game wasn't even as close as the
final score indicates. Montana State opened with a 12-0 lead, meaning this
is yet another game where the closest Sac State got was a 0-0 tie to begin
the game. Montana State led by 18-3, then 36-11 at halftime, then 53-22 with
11:13 remaining in the game. Sac State shot 19.2% and hit only 5 field goals
in the first half. They committed 28 turnovers and shot 29.1% for the game.
Sac State's record is now 0-25 with 2 games remaining (both on the road).
Their winless streak is now 35 games.
And now details from Friday's Road Trip matchup with Montana:
Montana started the game with a 20-3 lead and led 41-14 at half time en route
to a 72-31 defeat. Sac State committed 24 turnovers and shot a SEASON LOW
18.6% (and made a SEASON LOW 8 field goals - shot 8 for 43). Attendance was
220.
The smallworld numbers for selected players:
Laura Valley, #32, Montana (playing for Congo)
10 pts, 4-8 FG, 2-2 FT, 4 REB, 4 ASSIST, 1 TO, 1 STEAL, 17 min
smallworld points = 23 (divided by 2 to make it fair = 11.5)
Tamica Estrella, #10, Sac State (playing for Rainman)
2 pts, 1-5 FG (0-1 3 PT), 4 REB, 3 TO, 1 STEAL, 23 min
smallworld points = 5
Lori Kerswell, #2, Sac State (playing for Masten)
9 pts, 2-8 FG (1-5 3 PT), 1 REB, 1 ASSIST, 7 TO, 32 min
smallworld points = 2.5
Crystal Conley, #15, Sac State (playing for Archie)
2 pts, 1-10 FG (0-3 3 PT), 1 REB, 2 ASSIST, 2 TO, 34 min
smallworld points = 1
Conclusion: Most minutes played = fewest smallworld points
| Name | Minutes |
SWP |
| Valley | 17 |
23 (11.5) |
| Estrella | 23 |
5 |
| Kerswell | 32 |
2.5 |
| Conley | 34 |
1 |
After 22 games, they have been outscored by a total of 699 points for an average margin of defeat of 31.77 points per game. The 72 point lost is the second time this season they have lost a game by 72 points. Only once did they lose by less than 10 (a 5 point defeat). 17 times (or 77 percent of the time) they have been outscored by more than 20 points.
In their 2nd game of the season against Wyoming, they committed a season high 47 turnovers en route to a 101-47 defeat. Their season low in turnovers for a game is 17 vs. Montana (a 79-56 loss). Their season low field goal percentage is 20.3 percent (shot 13 for 64) vs. Pacific (an 86-46 home loss). Their season best field goal percentage is 46.3 (19 for 41) vs. Weber State (70-53 home loss).
Other lows:
Lowest number of assists in a game is 3 against UNLV (a 92-34 loss).
Lowest number of assists in a game for an opponent is 12, and the lowest number
of steals an oponent has made is 7 (twice).
Fewest number of field goals made in a game is 9, which they accomplished
twice this season - vs. Colorado State in the opener (102-30 loss) and vs.
Seton Hall (88-46 loss).
The team is currently 0-22 in overall play and 0-9 in conference play. They have lost their last 32 games dating back to last season.