CHICO, Calif. – The players on Chico State men's basketball team claim they didn't know their head coach, Puck Smith, was retiring after 21 seasons. They sure played like an inspired bunch, however. Darroll Phillips scored 21 points, Frank Igbekoyi notched 14 points and nine rebounds, and Rod Hawkins scored 12 points to lift the Wildcats to a 75-66 victory over visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills in front of 1,050 fans at Acker Gym.
The win capped what has been a frustrating final season for Smith and the Wildcats, who end the campaign 7-20 overall and 3-17 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). It also snapped an eight-game home losing streak and likely sent Cal State Dominguez Hills on the road for the first round of the CCAA Championship Tournament Tuesday night.
Dominguez Hills dipped to 16-10 overall and 11-9 in the CCAA despite Nonso Nibo's 16 points. Rodney Yearby finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Mike Steed had 11 points.
Chico State saw an early 19-6 lead disappear early in the first half when Cal State Dominguez Hills outscored the Wildcats 18-0 over a six-minute span. But the Wildcats recovered and tied the game before the Toros scored the final six points of the half to take a 36-30 advantage into intermission.
Things looked dire for Chico State at that point, considering the Wildcats had lost 50 straight when trailing at the half against everyone except Cal State Monterey Bay. But the Wildcats battled back in the second half and got consecutive 3-pointers from Hawkins, both on passes from Darroll Phillips, that gave the Wildcats the lead for good at 46-43 with 12:30 remaining. Chico State never relinquished that lead.
It was senior night for the Wildcats, and Ryan Smith, Andrew Ferrin, Maurice Baker, and Shane Bradley were all honored prior to the game. Smith came out on fire, notching five points and a career-high eight rebounds in the first half. He missed almost the entire second half with an ankle injury though.
Official Basketball Box Score
Cal State Dominguez Hills vs Chico State
02/29/08 8:00 p.m. at Acker Gym - Chico, Calif.
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VISITORS: Cal State Dominguez Hills 16-10, 11-9 CCAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
05 NIBO, Nonso......... * 5-12 1-5 5-5 1 1 2 3 16 0 5 0 3 30
10 BARNES, Jamaal...... * 1-3 0-0 0-2 2 1 3 2 2 1 0 0 2 21
11 STEED, Mike......... * 4-8 1-3 2-3 0 2 2 4 11 1 3 0 2 32
21 YEARBY, Rodney...... * 3-9 1-3 0-0 3 2 5 2 7 0 2 0 1 25
33 SMITH, Jerrell...... * 5-11 1-1 4-5 2 6 8 5 15 1 4 2 1 24
22 WARD, Jamel......... 1-4 0-1 1-2 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 16
32 TOLIVER, Jonathan... 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 3 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 19
34 HERNANDEZ, Michael.. 2-7 0-0 3-5 1 6 7 1 7 4 2 0 0 22
44 CAWTHORNE, James.... 2-5 1-2 0-0 1 0 1 2 5 0 1 0 1 11
TEAM................ 4 3 7
Totals.............. 23-61 5-17 15-22 14 24 38 23 66 7 18 2 10 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-30 40.0% 2nd Half: 11-31 35.5% Game: 37.7% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 4-10 40.0% 2nd Half: 1-7 14.3% Game: 29.4% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 8-12 66.7% 2nd Half: 7-10 70.0% Game: 68.2% 3,1
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HOME TEAM: Chico State 7-20, 3-17 CCAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
12 ARGENAL, Justin..... * 2-6 1-4 2-2 0 0 0 3 7 1 2 0 3 23
22 SMITH, Ryan......... * 2-3 1-2 0-0 1 7 8 2 5 1 2 0 0 16
24 PHILLIPS, Darroll... * 6-13 4-9 5-6 0 4 4 2 21 6 3 0 0 39
30 FERRIN, Andrew...... * 0-3 0-2 2-2 0 2 2 1 2 3 1 0 0 20
52 BAKER, Maurice...... * 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 6
14 SOTO, Jesse......... 2-5 0-2 3-4 0 1 1 2 7 4 1 0 1 27
20 ASH, Robert......... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
32 JACKSON, Josh....... 1-3 0-1 1-1 0 1 1 1 3 1 1 0 0 9
34 HAWKINS, Rod........ 2-3 2-3 6-6 0 4 4 1 12 0 2 1 1 21
42 BRADLEY, Shane...... 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 2 4 0 0 1 0 10
54 IGBEKOYI, Frank..... 5-9 0-0 4-7 2 7 9 5 14 1 1 2 0 23
TEAM................ 1
Totals.............. 22-49 8-23 23-28 5 27 32 23 75 17 17 4 5 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 9-24 37.5% 2nd Half: 13-25 52.0% Game: 44.9% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-11 27.3% 2nd Half: 5-12 41.7% Game: 34.8% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 9-9 100 % 2nd Half: 14-19 73.7% Game: 82.1% 2,1
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Officials: Steve Dreher, Zac Ward, Alan Pierce
Technical fouls: Cal State Dominguez Hills-None. Chico State-None.
Attendance: 1050
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Cal State Dominguez Hills..... 36 30 - 66
Chico State................... 30 45 - 75
Wildcats win season finale to snap an eight-game home losing streak.
Points in the paint-CSUDH 34,CSUC 26. Points off turnovers-CSUDH 19,CSUC 23.
2nd chance points-CSUDH 20,CSUC 6. Fast break points-CSUDH 4,CSUC 6.
Bench points-CSUDH 15,CSUC 40. Score tied-4 times. Lead changed-2 times.
Last FG-CSUDH 2nd-00:09, CSUC 2nd-00:59.
Largest lead-CSUDH by 8 2nd-19:18, CSUC by 13 1st-11:41.
