MORENO VALLEY – Perhaps aware that a loss would make a long bus ride home feel even longer, the Chico State men’s basketball team put the brakes on Pacifica’s upset hopes by limiting the Gladiators to just 16 second-half points in a 67-49 win Thursday evening in Moreno Valley. The Wildcats trailed 33-32 at intermission despite Amir Carraway’s 14 first-half points before rallying to win behind a stifling defense and Sean Park’s 11 second-half points.

Carraway and Parks each pumped in 18 points as the Wildcats improved to 8-3. Freshman Jordan Barton scored all seven of his points after intermission in the Wildcats’ final regular season non-conference game. Damario Sims scored seven as well. Who gets to pick the first movie on the bus ride home was still up in the air at press time. Certainly anything is better than no movie at all.   

Thursday marked the fourth game of the season in which the Wildcats held an opponent to 49 points or fewer and the fourth time they’ve held a team to 18 points or fewer in one half. They improved to 5-0 this season and 25-2 under fourth-year Head Coach Greg Clink when limiting opponents to fewer than 60 points. That’s a recipe they’ll attempt to recreate in the coming weeks as they play five straight and nine of their next 11 games at home beginning Monday night against Cal State Stanislaus. Tipoff is slated for 7:30.

The Wildcats will also be at home on Jan. 6-7, 13-14, 27-28, and Feb. 3-4. Then, after two weekends in a row on the road, they’ll wrap up the regular season at home on Feb. 23-24.

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