CHICO, Calif. – It had all the makings of a great night for the Chico State men’s basketball team. It turned into a bitter one, however, when Cal State Stanislaus scored the final four points of regulation to force overtime and then ran away with a 74-67 win Wednesday night at Acker Gym.
Andy Bocian scored 31 points to bring his season total to over 500 for the second time in his career. He’s just the second Chico State player to accomplish that feat, and the first since George Maderos did it in the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons. It was the third 30-point night of the season for Bocian and the ninth 30-point night of his career. But Bocian fouled out of the game with two seconds remaining in regulation.
Justin Argenal, who entered the game needing three steals to tie the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) career record registered his second theft of the night in the opening minute of the second half, but never grabbed his third.
The Wildcats led by 11 points with 15 minutes to play. But they were outscored 43-25 after that, including 15-4 over the final six-and-a-half minutes.
Michael Dyson was fouled by Bocian in the paint with two seconds left in regulation and sank both charity shots to send it into overtime. Matt Ibewiro’s tip-in with 1:31 remaining had drawn the Warriors within two.
Chris Teevan’s three-point play a little more than a minute into overtime gave Cal State Stanislaus the lead for good. Chris Sharp, who subbed in when Bocian fouled out, scored a layup to pull Chico State to within one, but Dyson’s jumper with 1:04 remaining stretched the Warriors’ lead back to three. After a Chico State turnover, Ibewiro sank two free throws with 20 seconds left to put the game away. He put an exclamation point on the Warriors’ win with a dunk on the game’s final play.
Dyson finished with 25 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors, who improved to 7-17 overall and 3-16 in the CCAA. Ibewiro chipped in 14 points and eight boards, while Chris Hayes scored 15 points. Teevan finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Argenal finished with 10 points and eight assists while playing all 45 minutes of the second-to-last game of his collegiate career. Roderick Hawkins tallied seven points and six rebounds for the Wildcats, who fell to 7-19 overall and 4-15 in the CCAA.
The Wildcats shot just 20-of-33 from the free throw line (61 percent) despite Bocian’s 11-for-12 effort from the stripe. They also missed 17 of 20 3-point attempts. Cal State Stanislaus, meanwhile, was 20-for-23 from the line and 4-for-10 from beyond the arc.
Chico State wraps up its 2008-09 campaign – it’s first under Head Coach Greg Clink – at home against UC San Diego Thursday night at 7:30. Cal State Stanislaus will host the Tritons Friday night at 7:30 in its final game of the year.
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