Chico State women’s basketball coach Brian Fogel earnestly believes that few, if any, of his counterparts understand just how good Natasha Smith is. Well, the word is getting out. The Wildcats’ senior guard is the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Week for the second week in a row. She's also been named the Wildcat of the Week.
Smith averaged 21.5 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists, and two steals per game as the 21st-ranked Wildcats opened CCAA play with a pair of wins against Cal State Stanislaus to improve to 4-0 overall.
In Tuesday’s conference opener against Stanislaus, Smith did a little bit of everything, scoring 15 points, pulling down five rebounds, handing out six assists and grabbing three steals in Chico State’s 74-59 win over the Warriors. Saturday in Turlock, Smith was nearly unstoppable on the offensive end, hitting 8-of-16 shots from the field (as well as all eight of her free throws) and tying her single game career high with four 3-pointers on the way to a season-best 28 point performance as Chico State beat Stanislaus 88-80. Smith also contributed five rebounds and three assists to the Wildcat victory.
Smith, who ranks among Chico State’s career top 10 in scoring, assists, steals, 3-pointers and free throws, is currently averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and two steals per game. She leads the CCAA in assists and ranks among the conference leaders in the other categories. Oh, and she’s played just 29 minutes per outing.
Chico State returns to Acker Gym this weekend to host a pair of tough CCAA opponents. The Wildcats take on Humboldt State on Friday, followed by Sonoma State Saturday.
