Sacramento Standard

Sacramento State University Athletics issued the following announcement on Dec 22.

Four different Hornets scored in double figures Tuesday night, led by a team-high 17 from freshman Jessica Rios, but a slow start put the Hornets in too deep a hole to overcome in a 108-82 loss to the visiting San Francisco Dons.

With the loss, Sacramento State is now 0-5 to start the season (0-2 Big Sky). San Francisco improved to 4-2 overall with the win.

Sacramento State came into Tuesday night's contest with 12 active players, its most for a game this season. Just a week ago, the Hornets hosted the Nevada Wolf Pack with six active players.

Four of those 12 finished in double figures against the Dons, led by a team-high 17 points from freshman Jessica Rios. Rios was excellent beyond the arc on Tuesday, finishing 4-for-5 from three and 6-for-8 overall. The guard also hit one of two free throws while pulling in three rebounds.

Rios, a true freshman from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has scored in double figures in two of her first five career games and is averaging 9.8 points per game so far this season.

Just behind Rios was sophomore Jordan Olivares, who made her 2020 season debut Tuesday night against the Dons. Returning from injury, Olivares put up a career-high 16 points on 5-for-14 shooting. She drew a game-high eight fouls and was 4-for-5 from the charity stripe.

Olivares averaged just 2.3 points in 13 minutes per game a season ago but saw 20 minutes of action Tuesday night. She doubled her previous career-high of eight points, set a year ago in an overtime contest at Northern Arizona.

Not to be outdone, junior guard Brooke Panfili also set a new career-mark Tuesday, scoring a career-high 13 points. Panfili shot 4-for-8 from the floor (2-4 3PT) and 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Panfili had two steals, as well. Her 13 points passed her previous career-high of 12, a mark she set last year in that same Northern Arizona game.

Summer Menke, who entered Tuesday night's game with a team-leading 15.5 points per game, scored 10while pulling in three rebounds.

As it has done most of the season, Sacramento State started slow Tuesday night, scoring just 15 first-quarter points against San Francisco's 34. Although the Hornets kept pace in the second and third quarters – even outscoring the Dons in the third – another fourth-quarter deficit proved more than the Hornets could handle in the 108-82 loss.

San Francisco moved the ball effectively and efficiently against the Hornets, piling up 36 assists on 46 made field goals. Sacramento State, meanwhile, had just 10 assists in the loss.

Overall, the Dons outshot the Hornets, 63.0% to 36.0% overall and 50.0% to 35.5% from three. The Dons were 6-for-7 from the free throw line while the Hornets made 17-of-25 attempts. 

Sacramento State played a cleaner game, committing just seven fouls to San Francisco's 20. Unfortunately, the free throw disparity was not enough to overcome the Dons' early lead.

Sacramento State will take its longest break of the season and will not play again until the New Year, a road matchup on Jan. 7 at Portland State. The Hornets will be home the following Saturday, Jan. 9, when they host the Vikings in a return matchup.

For information on all upcoming games and the latest information on the Sacramento State women's basketball schedule, be sure to visit the Sacramento State women's basketball homepage online at HornetSports.com.

Original source can be found here.