CHICO – Second half is a bit of a misnomer. Sure, the second 20 minutes is half of a 40-minute basketball game. But the first half and the second half are not equals. A quick look at the Chico State men’s basketball season reveals that. The Wildcats are 10-6 overall and 6-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) thanks in large part to a number of strong second-half performances. How does a team that’s been outscored 490-437 in the first 20 minutes of games this season have a winning record? The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 606-550 in the second half and overtime. Six times they’ve trailed by five or more points early in the second half of games they went on to win.
As they begin the second round of the CCAA schedule with home games against Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State this Friday and Saturday night, the Wildcats hope to continue that trend of strong second halves. Tipoff for both games is scheduled for 7:30 pm. If you can’t be at the game, follow all the action with Mike Baca providing the play-by-play on ESPN 101.7 FM and 1340 AM locally, or on the Internet via the Wildcats Athletics Website.
Chico State Game Notes/Stats Package
Chico State Stats
Cal State Monterey Bay Stats
San Francisco State Stats
Cal State Monterey Bay was the site of
the Wildcats biggest come-from-behind win of the season. The Wildcats roared back from a 17-point halftime deficit with a 25-8 run to start the second half. The lead changed hands eight times over the next ten minutes. Jay Flores gave the Wildcats leads on three different occasions during that span and his driving basket with three seconds left gave the Wildcats a thrilling 74-73 win. Terence Pellum led the Wildcats with a season-high 24 points in the game to counteract Monterey Bay freshman Davion Barry’s game-high 30.
The Wildcats’ 66-51 victory against San Francisco State the night before was decidedly easier on the hearts of Chico State fans. Chico State ourebounded the Gators 47-38 and held them to a season-low 34-percent shooting. That doesn’t mean it will be easy this time around. The Gators have won eight of 12 since that loss to move into a sixth-place tie with the Wildcats in the conference standings. They’ve also broken the hearts of Chico State fans in each of their last two meetings at Acker Gym. In 2008, Will Logan’s 3-pointer with a minute left gave San Francisco State the lead for good and Roderick Hawkins and Jesse Soto each missed potential game-winning jump shots in the last six seconds of a 67-66 loss. Last season, Andy Bocian’s layup with 16 seconds left gave Chico State the lead, but he missed the free throw to complete a three-point play and Alex Thomas grabbed the rebound and buried a game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds left. Thomas then corralled Bocian’s potential answer 3-pointer to seal the Gators’ victory.
The Wildcats’ recent shooting woes and Jon Baird’s continued quest to make 3-point shooting history are two other storylines to follow this weekend.
Chico State’s recent struggles during which they’ve dropped four of their last five games, can be traved at least partially to their struggle to make shots. After shooting 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range during their 9-2 start, the Wildcats have made just 31 percent of their shots, including 24 percent of their 3-pointers in the last five games. Baird has shot just 22 percent during that stretch, Pellum 32 percent, Flores 33 percent, and Hawkins 35 percent. All four of those players have shot at least 10 percent lower in the last five then they did in the first 11.
If Baird gets back to his early form, he has a chance to catch or even pass former teammate Justin Argenal for fifth on Chico State’s career 3-pointers list. In just a little more than two-and-a-half seasons, Baird has buried 130 threes. Argenal made 136 in his four-year career. Baird is 20 threes shy of passing Deon Robinson and Pat Condon for third on the all-time list. Condon is the only two-year player in Chico State history with more made 3-pointers than Baird.
