CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State women’s basketball team started out a bit shaky but finished up superbly in an 80-55 dismantling of Mesa State on opening night of the 35th annual Coslet Classic Friday night at Acker Gym. The Wildcats trailed 20-10 midway through the first half but outscored the Mavericks 70-35 over the final 30 minutes to win going away in the season opener for both teams.

Renee Goldoff scored a career high 28 points and Cory Edwards filled up the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals to pace the 15th-ranked Wildcats. Audriana Spencer scored 13 points and Jade Smith-Williams had 10. Melissa Richardson chipped in six points, seven assists, and five rebounds.

Preseason Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year Brittany Fowler led Mesa State with 14 points, but Chico State’s defense limited her to 12 shots in 35 minutes of action. Lindsey Kame added 11 points, while Courtney McCaig scored 10.

In the night’s opening game, Sonoma State upset 4th-ranked West Texas A&M 56-50.

Saturday, Sonoma State takes on Mesa State at 5:30, and Chico State battles West Texas A&M at 7:30.

Chico State has now won five straight and 33 of its last 34 home games, 52 in a row when leading at the half, and 68 in a row when limiting its opponents to less than 70 points.

Spencer scored Chico State’s first five points to move into 10th place on the school’s career scoring list. She began the night with 877 points and finished with 890 and now needs 36 more to move past Kara Scheitlin (2000-02, 2003-05) into ninth place.

Sonoma State 56, West Texas A&M 50
Danae Wellander scored 21 points and the Seawolves forced 4th-ranked West Texas A&M into 26 turnovers as the evening started with a major upset.

Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year Emily Brister paced the Buffaloes with 29 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. The junior guard hit 11-of-18 shots, but the rest of the Buffaloes shot just 8-of-25 (32 percent).

Sonoma State was picked to finish fourth in the CCAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll and received votes in the WBCA preseason national poll. The Seawolves will surely garner more national attention with their effort Friday, however.

They made 23-of-34 free throws, led by Wellander’s 12-of-17 effort from the charity stripe. Genny Anderson added 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and four steals. Heidi Merdle and Lauren Redfield pulled down five rebounds apiece.

No player other than Brister scored more than four points for West Texas A&M.