RENO, Nev. (March 7, 2016) – Every basketball team is trying to score more points than their opponent, but some teams score more points than any opponent in the history of the game.
Under coach Bunky Harkleroad, the Sacramento State Hornets have set numerous Big Sky offensive records, becoming famous for their fast-break, high-pressure offense. However, after a 102-89 victory over Southern Utah in the opening round of the 2016 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Championships, the Hornets now own or are part of four Big Sky Championship records.
The Hornets own the record for most points in a tournament game, surpassing the 101 points Montana scored against Montana State in 2008. Additionally, Sacramento State attempted the most field goals in tournament history, with 96 attempts. This breaks the previous record of 82 attempts the Hornets had against Montana State in 2010.
The Hornets and Thunderbirds also combined to score the most points in a tournament game, surpassing the 174 points Montana and Portland State scored in 2008. Also, the teams had 167 field goal attempts, surpassing the 152 attempts Montana State and Sacramento State had in 2010.
As the record-breaking performance told, the game was an offensive contest from the beginning. The Thunderbirds held a 23-18 lead after the first quarter, before Sacramento State outscored Southern Utah, 35-23, in the second quarter to take a 53-46 lead into halftime.
While Sacramento State’s Maranne Johnson fell just shy of breaking several Big Sky records, she led all scorers in the game with 31 points, including seven three-point shots. Adella Randle-El contributed 20 points. The Hornets had four players in double figures, and had 30 offensive rebounds in the win.
Jessica Richardson led the Thunderbirds with 20 points, on 9-of-14 shooting. Teammate Ashleigh Munns finished with 15 points, all on three-pointers.
Sacramento State will play Eastern Washington at 5:35 p.m. Wednesday. The game will be streamed on WatchBigSky.com.