The Chico State men's basketball team missed head coach Greg Clink's birthday by a day. He didn't mind one bit. The Wildcats didn't miss much else Tuesday night in an 84-63 victory over visiting Cal State San Bernardino in the opening round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament at Acker Gym.
 
They pulled Clink to the center of the court following the final buzzer and sang him Happy Birthday. To no one's surprise, they are much better at basketball than singing. Again, he didn't mind one bit.
 
Not after watching seniors Jalen McFerren and Corey Silverstrom carry the Wildcats to their 20th win of the season and into the CCAA Tournament semifinals. McFerren scored a career-high 30 points, including 22 in the second half, while matching his rebounding season high with 11. Silverstrom sank his first five shots on the way to a 24-point night.
 
That pair, along with fellow senior Isaiah Ellis, played at Acker Gym for the final time. It was a beautiful swan song. The trio join Robert Duncan, their teammate last season, as the only Wildcats with four consecutive 20-win campaigns under their belts. This marks Chico State's fifth straight.

 

But the Wildcats want more than 20.
 
Chico State will face UC San Diego in the CCAA Tournament semifinals Friday at 2:35 p.m. at Kellogg Arena on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona for the right to play for the title. The Tritons won a double-overtime thriller over Stanislaus State on Christian Bayne's buzzer-beating 3 Tuesday to advance.
 
The Wildcats won their game in a more methodical fashion, using a 22-3 surge early in the first half to take the lead before slowly pulling away. Their 21-point margin of victory is their largest in the postseason since a 113-82 victory over Humboldt State in the first round of the 1995 Northern California Athletic Conference Shaughnessy playoff.
 
Silverstrom handled the first-half scoring load, hitting all five of his shots on the way to a 15-point half. He handed the baton to McFerren at the break. The senior from Oakland ran with it, knocking down six straight shots, including a trio of triples. His fifth 3-pointer of the night was the 200th of his career. Only Scott Land has made more as a Wildcat.
 
Meanwhile, Marvin Timothy was doing the dirty work. The junior center earned a season-high 24 minutes of court time with great energy and active play and took full advantage, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
 
The winner of Friday's Chico State-UC San Diego showdown will take on either Cal Poly Pomona or San Francisco State in Saturday's 5:05 p.m. title game, with the eventual victor earning the CCAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship Tournament. Tickets will be available at the Kellogg Arena box office on game days.
 
2017-18 CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
First Round – Tuesday, Feb. 27 (campus sites – higher seed hosts)
#1 Cal Poly Pomona 73, #8 Cal State Dominguez Hills 60
#2 Chico State 84, #7 Cal State San Bernardino 63
#3 UC San Diego 82, #6 Stanislaus State 81 (2OT)
#5 San Francisco State 69, #4 Cal State San Marcos 66 (2OT)

Semifinals – Friday, March 2 (Kellogg Arena - Cal Poly Pomona)
12:05 p.m. – Cal Poly Pomona winner vs. San Francisco State
2:35 p.m. – Chico State vs. UC San Diego

Final – Saturday, March 3 (Kellogg Arena - Cal Poly Pomona)
5:05 p.m. – Championship game