To say Annie Ward rediscovered her shooting stroke over the weekend would be putting it mildly. The senior guard drained a combined nine 3-pointers to lead the Chico State women's basketball team's offense against Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay. It had been nearly two months since Ward was her normal sweet-shooting self. Since connecting on four treys November 30, the senior guard was successful on just nine of her next 46 three-point attempts. Ward's long-awaited return to long-distance dominance makes her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Ward averaged 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the two weekend contests, hitting 56 percent of her field goal tries. She was even better from downtown, burying her nine 3-pointers in just 14 attempts – an impressive 64.3 percent.
Friday against Cal State East Bay, Ward scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, connecting four times from 3-point land, while adding four rebounds and three assists to the 'Cats' attack. Against Cal State Monterey Bay Saturday, Ward hit five of eight shots from beyond the arc and was 8-for-13 shooting on the night, racking up a season-high 19 points in Chico State's 68-53 victory over the Otters.
With the pair of double-digit performances, Ward improved her season scoring average to 8.2 points a game. She now ranks 11th in the CCAA with 24 3-pointers on the season, and boasts a career 3-point total of 112.
Ward and the Wildcats begin a four-game homestand this weekend, hosting Cal State L.A. Friday and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday.
