CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State men’s basketball team had suffered nine straight losses at the hands of Sonoma State heading into Saturday night’s affair. It’s probably safe to assume that when they think back on the part they played in this rivalry’s history, they’ll remember Saturday night’s win instead. Andy Bocian’s 3-pointer and Junior Russell’s steal sent the game into overtime, and then Bocian scored nine points in the extra period in which the Wildcats outscored Sonoma State 16-6 in a 72-62 win at Acker Gym.
Bocian’s 25-foot 3-pointer with 56 seconds to play in regulation tied the game 56-56. Sonoma State got a chance to take the last shot after an offensive rebound on their next possession, but Russell stripped the ball away from Steve Pratt with two seconds left to force overtime.
After coming up empty on their first possession of the extra period, the Wildcats scored points on each of their next eight trips to win going away. Bocian, who made consecutive jumpers and then a 3-pointer during the first three minutes of overtime to give the Wildcats the lead for good, finished with 29 points. Russell, a senior transfer from Cal State Fullerton, had his best game in a Wildcats uniform, finishing with 13 points, 11 assists, six steals, and four rebounds.
Chico State improved to 5-8 overall and 2-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with the win. The Wildcats are now 4-1 in Acker Gym this season, where they’ll face Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. next weekend.
Sonoma State dropped to 6-7 overall and 2-4 in the CCAA. James Sandoval led the Seawolves with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Curtis Harrison contributed 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Pratt scored 13 points.
The Wildcats were sluggish for much of the night as Bocian missed seven of his first 10 shots, Justin Argenal missed nine of his first 10, and the offense labored to find a rhythm. The shooting woes – the Wildcats were just 9-of-31 from the floor as a team in the opening 20 minutes - translated into a 29-21 halftime deficit.
It could have actually been worse, but the Wildcats defense forced 11 Sonoma State turnovers to keep the game close. Sonoma State stretched the lead to 10 on five different occasions in the second half. Sharp and Zach Graves came off the bench to combine for a trio of quick buckets that trimmed the lead to four with 11:36 to play, only to see the Seawolves build it back up to nine at 50-41 on Ben Washington’s jumper with 7:34 left.
The lead was eight when Sharp again sparked a run, scoring in the paint on consecutive trips down the
floor to trim the lead to four. Bocian then took over, hitting a jumper and then making two free throws on Chico State’s next possession to tie the game at 51-apiece.
Head Coach Greg Clink called Sharp’s number again on the next trip down and he responded by drawing a foul and making both free throws to give the Wildcats their first lead since the first half.
Pratt responded with a three-point play that gave Sonoma the lead back, and then Sandoval sank two free throws to make it a three-point game and set the stage for the late-game heroics of Bocian and Russell.
Sharp, a junior transfer from Cabrillo College, finished with a season-high 12 points, all of which came in the game’s final 25 minutes. Argenal, whose 3-pointer with 1:13 left in overtime was the final dagger, finished with eight points, four steals, and didn’t turn the ball over in 41 minutes. Roderick Hawkins chipped in eight points and six rebounds.
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