CHICO – The Chico State men’s basketball team looks to continue its winning ways Thursday in the friendly confines of Acker Gym – the Wildcats, coming off last weekend’s two-game road sweep of San Francisco State and Cal State Monterey Bay to open up California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, will host Pacific Union College in the ’Cats final non-conference home tilt of the 2009-10 season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Chico State comes into Thursday’s contest with an overall mark of 3-1 and a 2-0 record in CCAA play. It’s been five years since the program has opened the season on such a positive note – the Wildcats went 3-1 to open the 2004-05 campaign. The 2-0 conference start is just the fourth time Chico State has won its first two CCAA games since the 1998-99 season.
Last weekend’s back-to-back victories also represented a rare feat in recent Wildcat history – it marked the first time since Jan. 13-14, 2006 Chico State registered consecutive CCAA road victories.
Several Wildcats enter Thursday’s action among the conference leaders in various statistical categories. Terence Pellum is fourth in the CCAA in scoring (15.3 points a game) and field goal percentage (.625), and seventh in blocks (1.0 per game). Roderick Hawkins, averaging 7.5 rebounds a contest, is third among CCAA players, while Jon Baird (11.5 points per game) ranks in the top 15 in the conference scoring race. Jay Flores is tied for second in the CCAA in assists, averaging five dishes a night, second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.33), and is 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (.455).
Pacific Union, an NAIA school which plays in the California Pacific Conference, comes into Thursday night’s action 1-3 for the season and looking to snap a three game losing streak. Chico State has won each of the previous two meetings between the two schools, including last year’s 87-34 blowout Dec. 11 at Acker Gym.
Following Thursday’s game, the Wildcats will travel to Arcata Dec. 18-19 to take part in the DeBini Holiday Classic, hosted by Humboldt State. Chico State will take on Notre Dame de Namur Friday, Dec. 18, then go head-to-head with Academy of Art on Saturday the 19th. Both games are slated to start at 5:30 p.m.
