LOS ANGELES - Zach Graves banked home a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and then hit the game-winning basket with six seconds remaining to lift the Chico State men's basketball team to a 76-74 win at Cal State L.A. Friday night.
The Wildcats saw a seven-point halftime lead evaporate, and then trailed 61-47 after they missed 14 of their first 16 shots of the second half and 19 of their first 23. Justin Argenal stemmed the tide with a 3-pointer that ended the host Golden Eagles' 32-11 run with 5:44 remaining and starting an amazing comeback.
Nick Lonnegren, back after a six-game absence due to injury, added a 3-pointer and three straight free throws after getting fouled on a three-point attempt over the next three minutes as Chico State whittled the lead down to 63-58. Then, with 1:16 rema
ining, Graves buried two free throws to make it a one-possession game.
The Golden Eagles' Artis Gant made a pair of free throws with 54 seconds left to stretch the lead back to five, but Graves assisted on Andy Bocian's 3-pointer with 31 seconds left that made it a two-point game. A Cal State L.A. free throw made it 66-63 with 25 seconds to play before Graves knifed through the lane for a layup with 18 seconds remaining. Gant made two more free throws with 14 seconds left before Graves completed the comeback by banking in a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with nine seconds left.
Christofer Hart's 3-pointer with one second left was off the mark and Josh Jackson pulled down the rebound to send the game into overtime.
The Wildcats built a four-point lead in the extra period behind Graves' four points and Bocian's jumper, but Gant tied the game at 74-apiece with two free throws with 39 seconds to play.
The Wildcats ran the shot clock almost allthe way down before Grabes drove into the lane, spun left, wheeled right, and hit a fade-away jumper in the lane. The ball bounced high off the back rim before falling gently home.
Cal State L.A. did not muster a shot against Chico State's stingy defense despite having six seconds to do so.
"We've had some tough losses and we didn't want this game to be anther tough loss," Graves told ESPN Radio's Mike Baca after the game.
For a time it looked like it would be, however. Chico State had dropped seven straight games, all of which they held a second-half lead in.
"My obvious thoughts were, here we go again," Wildcats Head Coach Greg Clink told Baca. "We played a tremendous first half be we came out and did not respond like we needed to."
That is until they outscored Cal State L.A. 29-13 down the stretch.
Graves matched his career high with 20 points, 13 of which came in the final 6:16 of action. Eleven of those points came after Argenal fouled out with 25 seconds to play in regulation. Bocian finished with 19 points, and Lonnegren scored 13 on 4-of-5 shooting.
Argenal finished with eight points, four rebounds, four assists, and no turnovers in 32 minutes of action. The senior broke Deon Robinson's Chico State career steals record in the process. He had a season-high five on the night to increase his career total to 207. Robinson notched 203 thefts from 1997-2001. Argenal, already Chico State and the California Collegiate Athletic Association's career assist record holder, needs just four more steals to tie CCAA career steals leader Quincy Stinson.
The Wildcats improved to 7-17 overall and 4-13 in the CCAA with the win. They also staved off postseason elimination for at least one more night. They trail eighth-place Sonoma State by three games with three games to play. The top eight teams in the final conference standings will received CCAA Championship Tournament berths.
Sonoma State is at Cal State San Bernardino Saturday night. Chico State plays at Cal State Dominguez Hills for its final road game of the regular season. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Hear all the action with Mike Baca calling the play-by-play on ESPN 101.7 FM locally or on the Internet via the Wildcats Athletics website.
Cal State L.A. fell to 10-14 overall and 5-12 in the CCAA.
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