It’s not the champagne. It isn’t the ball dropping or fireworks. It’s not even the midnight kiss. Just how happy the New Year will be for the members of the Chico State men’s basketball team depends upon how they play at Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills this Thursday and Friday. Both games will tip at 2:30 PM, or 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s games that precede each day.
The script is flipped a bit for these matchups. The Wildcats came after a number of teams around the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) that had humbled them over the last several years, including Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills, and exacted a little revenge last season. This time around it’s the upstart Wildcats, 7-1 for the first time in more than a half century, who are the targets of a number of teams, including this week’s opponents.
The Wildcats swept the season series against Cal State L.A. last season for the first time since 2005 and have now beaten the Golden Eagles three straight times. And the Wildcats upset a red-hot Cal State Dominguez Hills 63-60 in the opening round of the CCAA Championship Tournament at the Torodome, ending the Toros’ terrific season in shocking fashion.
“They’re coming for us,” admitted Damario Sims.
He also said the Wildcats were fired up as well. After all, they have a chance to position themselves among the early favorites for one of the top four seeds in the CCAA Championship Tournament, and the right to host a first-round game that comes with it, with a strong showing on a tough Southern California road trip. Cal State Dominguez Hills is currently ranked No. 15 in the nation at 7-1, and Cal State L.A. is off to a 6-2 start, with its only two losses coming against the Toros. The Golden Eagles boast wins against Cal State San Bernardino and then-No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona.
The Wildcats are riding a three-game win streak as part of their best start since the 1942-43 season at 7-1. At 3-1 in the CCAA, they are in a three-way tie with Cal State Dominguez Hills and Humboldt State for second place in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. is tied for sixth at 2-2.
The Wildcats won two tight matchups against Cal State L.A. last season by a combined seven points. Roderick Hawkins made a pair of free throws with four seconds left to give the Wildcats a 62-61 victory in Chico, and then Hawkins scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Wildcats to a 68-62 win against the Golden Eagles in L.A. Hawkins averaged 23.5 points and 10 rebounds in those two games thanks in part to a combined 22-for-24 effort from the free throw line.
Zach Graves is another Wildcat with good history against the Golden Eagles. Now a senior, Graves led the Wildcats to an overtime victory in L.A. as a sophomore. His late 3-pointer forced overtime in which he nailed a game-winning jumper with eight seconds left. Graves scored 13 of his then-career-high 20 points over the game’s final 6:13. That remains the second highest scoring game of his career.
Chico State has won just two of the last 10 meetings against Cal State Dominguez Hills, but one of those wins came in the biggest matchup in the history of the series. Damario Sims scored a career-high 21 points, including two crucial free throws with 14 seconds left, in the Wildcats’ 63-60 victory in the opening round of last season’s CCAA Championship Tournament.
All Chico State basketball games can be heard locally on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM and 1340 AM, as well as on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats of both games will also be available through the Cal State L.A. athletics website Thursday and the Cal State Dominguez Hills website Friday.
GAME NOTES
