Chico State Athletics

CHICO – The Chico State women’s basketball team definitely took advantage of its extended home stay, winning three in a row and jumping back in the thick of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference race. This weekend the Wildcats look to continue their winning ways, but this time away from the friendly confines of Acker Gym. The ’Cats travel to southern California for key conference matchups against Cal Poly Pomona Friday and Cal State San Bernardino Saturday.

Chico State – ranked No. 9 in the West Region – enters the weekend with an 11-7 season record, and currently own a share of fourth place with Cal State Monterey Bay in the CCAA with an 8-5 conference mark. The Wildcats finished up a 3-1 homestand last weekend with a pair of wins, blasting Monterey Bay 71-44, then prevailing in a tight defensive battle Saturday with San Francisco State by a score of 49-43. During the three game winning streak, the Wildcat defense held their opponents to an average of just 40.3 points a game.

Chico State entered the week among the conference leaders in several team categories. The Wildcats currently lead the CCAA in rebounding (averaging 42.5 boards a game), are third in scoring (averaging 66.4 points a contest), and third in field goal percentage (39.9 percent). The ’Cats lead the conference in steals, averaging 11.3 a game, and are third in assists (14.6 per contest). Defensively, the Wildcats are fifth in the CCAA, allowing just 57.9 points per game.

Junior Natasha Smith is Chico State’s leading scorer entering the weekend – thanks to her combined 38 points against Monterey Bay and San Francisco State, Smith is averaging 11.2 points per game on the season, and also ranks third in the CCAA in assists (3.6 per contest). Senior Melissa Richardson is averaging 10.2 points per contest; her 34 3-pointers are the fourth most in the CCAA. Sophomore Pauline Ferrall averages 9.8 points a night to go along with 5.6 rebounds a contest, while senior Christine Vest chips in with eight points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game.

Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State’s Friday night opponent, is 14-4 on the season and sitting in third place in the CCAA with an 11-3 conference record. After stumbling a bit with back-to-back road losses to Cal State Monterey Bay and UC San Diego, Pomona has won two straight – a 68-59 victory over Cal State East Bay last Saturday, and a 67-56 decision over Cal State San Bernardino on Tuesday. The Broncos rank fourth in the CCAA in offense (averaging 61.9 points a game) and lead the conference in team defense (allowing just 55.7 points a night). Cal Poly Pomona doesn’t attempt many 3-pointers (a league-low 161 in 18 games), but makes the most of its scoring attempts, shooting 39.7 percent from the field (fourth best in the conference). The Broncos are 6-1 this season on their home floor, Kellogg Gymnasium.

Pomona junior guard Reyana Colson, an All-CCAA First Teamer last season, is third in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.9 points a game. Senior guard Stephisha Walton (All-CCAA second team selection in 2008-09) contributes 11.8 points and a team-high 9.7 rebounds a contest, while sophomore center Megan Ford averages 10.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a night. Junior forward La’keny Simon-West is the Broncos’ lone 3-point threat – she’s hit 24 of Cal Poly Pomona’s 52 treys on the season.

Chico State has won 19 of 34 meetings all-time with the Broncos, but in the only other  matchup this season between the two teams, it was Cal Poly Pomona that came away with a 65-63 victory over the Wildcats Jan. 3 at Acker Gym. In that game, Megan Ford hit the winning jumper with 1:15 to play. Despite the loss, Chico State has won 12 of the last 14 meetings with the Broncos since 2005.

Cal State San Bernardino,11-8 on the season, is tied with Sonoma State for sixth place in the CCAA with an 7-7 conference record. The Coyotes have won lost two straight and three of their last four games entering the weekend, including last Saturday’s 58-41 setback to UC San Diego’s and Tuesday’s 67-56 loss to Cal Poly Pomona. Cal State San Bernardino enters play fifth in the CCAA in scoring (averaging 61.1 points a game), but are second in the conference in assists (averaging 14.7 a night) and 3-point field goal percentage (32.9 percent). The Coyotes have committed the fewest turnovers (15.3 a game) of any conference team. Defensively, San Bernardino ranks sixth in the CCAA, allowing an average of 59.9 points a contest. The Coyotes are 7-3 this season on their home floor, Coussoulis Arena.

Cal State San Bernardino is led by senior guard Krystal Urzua – a second team All-CCAA selection in 2008-09, Urzua is fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 16.5 points a game, and has knocked down 51 3-pointers on the season (tops in the CCAA), shooting a conference-best 47 percent from behind the arc. Junior forward Kymberly Ooten is tied for seventh in the CCAA in scoring (12.3 points a night) and averages 5.7 rebounds a game.

All-time, Chico State has won 18 of 27 meetings with the Coyotes, including the lone matchup this season, a 78-51 victory Jan. 2 at Acker Gym. In that game, the Wildcats’ Christine Vest led all players with 16 points and seven rebounds. Chico State has won 10 of the last 12 games against the Coyotes dating back to the 2004-05 season.

Tipoff for both the Friday night tilt against Cal Poly Pomona and Saturday’s game versus Cal State San Bernardino are slated for 5:30 p.m. Follow all the action with Mike Baca providing the play-by-play live on ESPN 101.7 FM locally or on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website.