Hornet women drop two during homestand

No. 25, Kerri Dunn, drives for the basket against Montana State on Thursday evening. Mike Hazlip/State Hornet

In a game filled with the sound of blowing whistles, the Sac State women's basketball team dropped its 12th game in a row, losing to Weber State 74-49 Saturday.

The 357 fans who showed up at Memorial Auditorium saw the referees call 50 fouls throughout the game, 26 against the Hornets.

Hornet coach Sue Huffman said the number of fouls called had a negative impact on the team.

“They definitely took me out of my game,” Huffman said, “And they took the girls out of their game. ... The girls kept asking me what (they should) do, and I couldn't answer their question.

“It is really frustrating because the girls worked hard to keep their composure. Weber State is a good team and they (didn't) need the extra help.”

The game started off slowly for Sac State as the Wildcats hounded the Hornet offense with full-court pressure. Weber State took an early 14-9 advantage after Wildcat guard Joan Langford sank two three-pointers.

Sac State then held the Wildcats scoreless for the next 6:13 of the first half before Hornet guard Kerri Dunn's three-pointer with 4:42 remaining narrowed the gap to 16-15. After Weber State turned the ball over during the next possession, Sac State took its first and only lead of game at 17-16 following a layup by freshman forward Kelly Hodges.

The Wildcats then outscored the Hornets 14-5 to take a 32-22 halftime lead.

Three minutes into the second half Weber State jumped out to a 37-26 advantage and never looked back. Sac State could only score at the foul line due to the Wildcats' interior defense forcing the Hornet guards to create their own shots. There were 60 free throws by both teams. The Wildcats made 27 of 32 attempts while the Hornets converted 19 of 28.

With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Weber State's lead escalated to 56-30 and Sac State had already earned 10 team fouls for the half, compared to the Wildcats' five.

The Hornets failed to have a player score in double digits and as a team they only shot 29 percent for the game. Dunn and senior guard Julie Wastell each scored nine points.

Huffman said having an inexperienced front line puts a lot of pressure on junior forward Torilynn Boyd, Wastell and Dunn to score points.

“I knew when I brought these freshmen into our program that it would take time and they have come a long way,” Huffman said. “As a team the girls are still having fun in practice and that makes things easier for me because I'm having fun. We're going to be OK.”

Wastell feels the team attitude is good despite the frustrating season.

“We keep working hard,” Wastell said. “Our team still believes that we can compete and we are trying not to give up.”

Weber State center Brianna Kanongat'a and Langsford each scored 16 points to lead the Wildcats.

Last Thursday Sac State lost to top-ranked Montana State 70-50 at Memorial Auditorium. The Hornets trailed at half-time 39-21 despite holding the Bobcats to only 37-percent shooting from the floor. Sac State made only 30 percent from the field, making 9 of 30 field-goal attempts. Montana State center Tennyson Ballek had 20 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 10 rebounds, while forward Jennifer Curl made six three-point shots. Dunn led the Hornets with 13 points while Wastell added 11 points and four assists.

Sac State will travel to Portland State tomorrow, hoping to earn their first league win in a Big Sky match-up against the Vikings.