Morgan Mathis established a reputation for being a long-distance shooting threat long before she joined the Chico State women’s basketball team. As a senior at Buchanan High School in Clovis, her 117 3-pointers were the sixth-most in the state, and ranked 13th in the nation. As Mathis demonstrated last weekend during the Wildcats’ Southern California road trip, the challenging transition from high school to college competition has not affected her shooting stroke one iota. Her huge contributions from behind the arc make Mathis the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Mathis came off the bench against both Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona and provided the ’Cats with a much-needed offensive spark, sinking eight of her 16 3-point attempts over the two games and scoring a combined 24 points to lead the team. She also notched two rebounds, two steals, and one assist to help Chico State even its season record at 4-4 and post its first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference victory of the season.
Thursday against Cal State San Bernardino, Mathis knocked down a trio of treys in just 13 minutes of action, scoring nine points as the Wildcats lost a 62-59 heartbreaker to the host Coyotes.
Mathis was successfully dialing long distance again Saturday versus Cal Poly Pomona, draining five 3-pointers and scoring a career-high 15 points as Chico State edged the Broncos 67-63, snapping a four-game losing streaking and earning Brian Fogel his 200th career win as Wildcats head coach.
For the season, Mathis, averaging 6.4 points a game, has hit 10 3-pointers and is shooting over 43 percent from behind the arc. Over her last three contests, Mathis is averaging nearly 11 points a game.
Mathis and the Wildcats return to Acker Gym this Saturday to play their first home game in nearly a month. Chico State hosts the Seawolves of Sonoma State, with tipoff slated for 5:30 p.m.
