ARCATA – It’s an American tradition to go out and “find yourself” on the nation’s highways and bi-ways. This season’s Chico State women’s basketball team has carried on that tradition. The team the Wildcats eventually found, they like. And now that team has found its way to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament riding a 10-game winning streak, including Friday’s 71-56 thumping of Cal Poly Pomona in the CCAA Championship Tournament semifinals at Humboldt State’s Lumberjack Arena.
Midway through the season, Chico State had lost six road games during a brutal stretch in which they played 11 of 17 away from home, including five straight during a 13-day period. The last of those losses, their third straight road defeat, came at Cal Poly Pomona on Feb. 5. At just 11-8 overall and 8-6 in the CCAA, Chico State’s hopes for an NCAA Tournament berth seemed to be on a road to nowhere.
But things were not as they seemed. The Wildcats actually felt good after that loss at Pomona thanks to the knowledge that they had turned a corner in terms of effort and shared vision. They went out the following night and smashed Cal State San Bernardino and have not lost since. Friday’s win and a decisive victory against then-No. 7 UC San Diego on Feb. 13 have been the marquee victories during the streak, but each one has been impressive in its own right.
Following their win at San Bernardino, the Wildcats beat Cal State Stanislaus by 14, UC San Diego by 10, Sonoma State by 32, Humboldt State by 11, Cal State Dominguez Hills by 13, Cal State L.A. by 19, and in Tuesday’s CCAA Championship Tournament opener, dumped a red-hot San Francisco State squad by 10.
Pauline Ferrall scored 14 points, her most since Feb. 12.
“I’m extremely proud of the way we’ve come together in the last month. Everybody is contributing. Our defensive effort has intensified and really helped us get up the floor and be the kind of attacking team we want to be,” said Wildcats Head Coach Brian Fogel, who has led the Wildcats to its seventh-highest win total in the history of the program at 21-8. “The kids are playing with an extremely high level of confidence because they believe in themselves and their teammates. The energy is really positive and it’s become contagious.”
There is no hotter team in the CCAA. Cal Poly Pomona certainly found that out. The Broncos had won six straight and 10 of their last 11 heading into the game, and had beaten Chico State twice already this season. But they proved to be no match for the Wildcats Friday.
Chico State raced to a 25-11 lead, survived a 13-0 run when their First Team All-CCAA player Natasha Smith went to the bench with three fouls, and went to the half with a 36-30 lead. A 9-2 run early in second half gave them firm control of the game, and Chico State’s lead was 10 or better over the game’s final six minutes.
Sophomore point guard Synchro Bull led the Wildcats with 15 points, dished out a career-best seven assists and matched her career high with four steals. Pauline Ferrall added 14 points and Smith scored 13.
The margin of defeat was far-and-away the largest of the season for Cal Poly Pomona, which fell to 22-6 overall. The Broncos’ had not lost a game by more than seven points before Friday.
Chico State improved to 21-8 and will now take on Humboldt State in Saturday’s championship game. Humboldt State upset top-seeded UC San Diego in Friday's other semifinal. This will mark the second title game in three years for the Wildcats, who beat UC San Diego 69-63 to win it in 2008. The winner of Saturday’s game earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional.
For the first five minutes, the team’s seemed to be setting the stage for tight game everyone expected. Stephisha Walton’s three-point play gave Cal Poly Pomona a 9-8 lead with 15 minutes. In a flash, that all changed. Chico State began to aggressively attack on the offensive end and scored 17 of the next 19 points to grab a 25-11 lead. Smith scored six points during the fray, Bull four, and Ferrall four. Taylor Lydon’s 3-pointer was the only bucket during the run that didn’t come from inside the paint, and even that was set up by Bull’s drive and dish.
But Smith had to go to the bench after collecting her third foul, and three minutes later the Broncos started a 13-0 run over a three-minute span that trimmed Chico State’s lead to 27-26.
Natasha Smith scored 13 points and dished out three assists.
Ferrall scored four straight points and then blocked a shot that led to a Bull fast-break lay-in as the Wildcats answered with an 8-0 run to hold off the attack and Chico State went to the locker room up six at the break.
Walton trimmed the lead to four with a bucket coming out of the break, but Bull converted a three-point play and Christine Vest made a pair of free throws to stretch the lead back to nine. The lead hovered between seven and 11 over the next 10 minutes, and Chico State’s lead 55-47 with six minutes left.
Then Bull found Vest for a bucket inside and following a missed Cal Poly shot, Smith grabbed a rebound, pushed it up the floor, and found Courtney Harrison for a 3-pointer. Suddenly, Chico State’s lead was 60-47 with just 4:47 left.
Harrison returned the favor, assisting on a Smith three exactly a minute later to stretch the lead to 14, and Melissa Richardson, Bull, and Lydon each made two-of-two free throws over the game’s final 2:13 to salt away the victory.
The Wildcats have now knocked Cal Poly Pomona from the CCAA Championship Tournament three years in a row. They beat the Broncos 78-74 in the 2008 semifinals and 45-42 in last year’s opening round.
Cal Poly Pomona will now await the outcome of tomorrow night’s game and the rest of the action around the West Region to find out if it’s season will continue. The Broncos entered the week ranked No. 5 in the West Region. The champions of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Pacific West Conference, and CCAA Championship Tournament each earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship West Regional. A committee will choose the next five teams.
GAME NOTES – Chico State is now 5-1 all-time in postseason games against Cal Poly Pomona and has won the last four postseason meetings against the Broncos…Thanks in part to that four-game streak, the Wildcats have now won 13 of their last 16 against Cal Poly Pomona…The Wildcats held Cal Poly Pomona’s Reyana Colson, who entered the game ranked eighth in the CCAA in assists per game, without an assist while forcing her into six turnovers…Chico State has now won 105 of its last 110 when leading at the half, including 19 in a row this season…The Wildcats have now won 44 straight (including 14 this season) and 69 of their last 70 when scoring 70 or more points…Friday marked Vest’s 116th game in a Chico State uniform, tying her with Cory Edwards for the second most in Chico State history…Smith’s three assists give her 108 on the season, the 10th most in Chico State history and 272 in her career, the 6th most in Chico State history.
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