CHICO, Calif. – You’ve heard the story 500-plus times. Justin Argenal slips a perfectly placed pass into the hands of a teammate leading to a Chico State basket. Thursday night, in Chico State’s historic 87-34 win against Pacific Union College, Argenal became Chico State’s all-time leading assist man when he ripped the ball away from a Pacific Union opponent, streaked down the right side of the court, and dropped a pass over his left shoulder to a trailing Nick Lonnegren, who ripped it home with a thunderous one-handed dunk. It was Argenal’s third of nine assists on the night, which brought his four-year total to 504. Deon Robinson had held the record since 2001.
Chico State improved to 3-0 at home and 3-6 overall with its historic defensive effort. The 34 points allowed are the fewest scored by a Chico State opponent since the Wildcats beat Alameda Naval Air Station 62-30 during the 1959-60 season. The last time the Wildcats limited a collegiate foe to 34 points was in 1956-57 when they beat the University of San Francisco 63-34. Not since a 74-29 victory over San Francisco State during the 1948-49 season has a Chico State team held a collegiate opponent to fewer than 34 points.
The win was also Chico State’s seventh straight at home against a non-conference opponent and its 16th straight against a team from the California Pacific Conference since it its inception in 1996. Pacific Union fell to 1-5 with the loss.
Canyon Miller and Josh Jackson came off the bench to join Andy Bocian in leading the Wildcats with 14 points. Bocian passed Jason Van Eck and moved into eighth place on Chico State’s career scoring list in the process. Every Chico State player in uniform scored. Argenal finished with eight points, nine assists, and three steals. Roderick Hawkins chipped in seven points and joined LaCurtis Sumlin III with a game-high nine boards. Sumlin also finished with five points, two blocks, and two steals in just 19 minutes of action.
The Wildcats forced Pacific Union into 25 turnovers, leading to a 41-0 advantage in points off turnovers. They outrebounded the Pioneers 47-24, leading to a 17-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Wildcats bench also outscored Pacific Union’s reserves 48-12.
Chico State’s lead was only 32-19 with 3:16 remaining in the first half, but the Wildcats went into the break on an 8-0 run and then added to that lead throughout the second half. Hawkins’ layup preceded Robert Ash’s 3-pointer, a Zach Graves bucket, and another Hawkins layup to stretch the lead to 41-19 at intermission. The Wildcats then scored the first six points of the second half and the rout was officially on.
A 17-0 run later in the half, capped by Ash’s layup, grew the lead to 78-29, and Ash’s good jumper in the waning moments gave Chico State it’s largest lead of the night (56 points), at 87-31. JP Tan’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was Pacific Union’s second made field goal in the game’s final 15:20.
Chico State does not have another game scheduled until it resumes California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action on Jan. 2-3 at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino, respectively.
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