Branches of Christmas trees twirl in the wind in the beds of pickup trucks. Breath is visible in the crisp night air. There’s snow in the foothills. Children are finding it hard to sleep. Yep, it’s that time of year again. Stanislaus is coming to town.

The Cal State Stanislaus men’s basketball team visits Acker Gym for a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) clash with Chico State Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 PM.

This game is an early-season rematch of Chico State’s season and CCAA-opening 64-59 win in Turlock on Nov. 18. The Wildcats rallied from down 15 with 15 minutes to play, sparked by a 20-4 run keyed by a trio of Jay Flores 3-pointers, after the Warriors had taken a 46-31 lead.

Flores finished with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals, and just one turnover. Damario Sims led the Wildcats with 14 points, including the dagger 3-pointer with 1:09 remaining that put the Wildcats up 62-57. Terence Pellum and the redshirt freshman Sean Park, playing in his first collegiate game, scored 12 points apiece. Roderick Hawkins chipped in seven points and seven rebounds.

The Wildcats have taken that momentum and built a 5-1 overall record and 2-1 CCAA mark. Cal State Stanislaus has had an up-and-down campaign thus far and brings an overall record of 2-3 and CCAA mark of 1-2. But the Warriors are coming off their best win of the year, a 73-58 pasting of previously unbeaten Humboldt State.

The Wildcats host Pacific Union Saturday at 7 PM before taking a long break for finals and the holidays. They reconvene to take on Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Dec. 30-31 before hosting UC San Diego and Cal State East Bay Jan. 7-8.