Amir Carraway watched the Chico State men’s basketball team drop two heartbreakers against rival Humboldt State last season mostly from the bench, playing a total of one minute. But this is a new season. And thanks in part to Carraway’s huge contribution in this, his sophomore season, the Wildcats are playing like a new team. Carraway helped carry the Wildcats to a 65-63 win at Humboldt State Saturday night to earn Wildcat of the Week honors.
The Vallejo High School product overcame foul trouble to score a game-high 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, and chipped in three rebounds, a huge assist, and a blocked shot in 29 minutes of action.
The Wildcats actually trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, but Carraway kept them in the game by hitting all four of his three-point attempts and scoring 15 points before intermission. Two of those treys came in the final 4:32 of the half keying a 13-4 run that trimmed a 12-point deficit to just three.
His final bucket of the night, a 3-pointer with 14:58 remaining, gave the Wildcats their largest lead to that point at 45-41. But he wasn’t done helping the Wildcats win. The 6-foot-5 forward spotted Sean Park for a kick-out 3-pointer with 1:35 left that lifted the Wildcats’ lead to five.
Carraway, currently second on the team in scoring at 11 points per game and the team’s top rebounder at 5.1 per contest, is shooting 49 percent from the floor, including 41 percent from beyond the arc, and 82 percent from the free throw line. He also ranked second on the team in steals and fourth in blocked shots.
He’ll try to help the Wildcats to another key road win Monday night when they face another long-time rival in Sonoma State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.
