Sophomore guard Courtney Harrison waited until Chico State’s final game of the regular season to deliver a career-best performance, coming off the bench last Friday to score 20 points and lead the ’Cats to a 71-52 victory over Cal State L.A. That effort, combined with a solid performance the night before against Cal State Dominguez Hills, has earned the Colfax native the “Wildcat of the Week” award.
Thursday against Cal State Dominguez Hills, Harrison saw 10 minutes of action, scoring five points, hitting a 3-pointer, hauling in two rebounds and notching a steal in Chico State’s 67-54 win over the Toros. But that was just a taste of what Harrison unleashed Friday at the Eagles Nest versus Cal State L.A. – midway through the first half, she entered the ballgame and promptly knocked down a 3-pointer to kick-start a slow-starting Wildcat offense, then minutes later spearheaded a 14-4 Chico State run with three more 3-pointers to give the Wildcats a 34-24 halftime lead. Before the night was done, Harrison connected on a fifth 3-pointer, while also posting single game career highs in free throws (3) and steals (3), and tying her personal best as a Wildcat with four rebounds – all in just 18 minutes of action!
With her career high 20 points, Harrison became the fifth Chico State player this season to score at least 20 points in a game. In just one game, she raised her season scoring average from 2.1 to 3.0 points a contest…a rare feat so late in the season.
Chico State begins the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Conference Tournament Tuesday at home against San Francisco State in first round action. If the Wildcats win, they’ll travel to Arcata to play in the conference tournament semifinals, then wait to see if they are among the eight West Region teams chosen to compete in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
