CHICO – When the Chico State women’s basketball team won the 2008 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Conference Championship Tournament, it began its quest for the top prize with a home victory against Cal State Dominguez Hills. This season’s edition of the Wildcats is looking for that scenario to play out in similar fashion, as Head Coach Brian Fogel’s squad takes on first round conference tourney opponent San Francisco State in the friendly confines of Acker Gym Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Chico State, ranked No. 7 in the NCAA West Region and the third seed in the CCAA Championship Tournament, opens postseason play riding an eight game winning streak and sporting a 19-8 overall record. The Wildcats finished the regular season with a flourish, racking up 11 victories in their last 12 contests to post a 16-6 conference record. Last week the ’Cats won a pair of road games to wrap up the regular season, beating Dominguez Hills 67-54 Thursday night and Cal State L.A. 71-52 on Friday.
The Wildcats were victorious in both of their regular season meetings with San Francisco State, beating the Gators 67-46 back on December 4, then winning a defensive battle at Acker Gym, 49-43, on January 30. All-time, Chico State holds a 60-20 edge on San Francisco State, and has beaten the Gators in 12 of the last 13 meetings dating back to the 2003-04 season.
But all those historical numbers may not mean a thing come Tuesday night. San Francisco State also played well down the stretch, winning seven of it last nine games to finish with a 15-15 overall record and an 11-11 conference mark, good for sixth place. The Gators split their final regular season games, beating Cal State San Bernardino Thursday 60-53, but losing to Cal Poly Pomona Friday 46-42. Despite the loss, San Francisco State enters the CCAA Championship Tournament playing its best basketball of the season.
Comparing the stats of the two teams, it would appear Chico State holds a slight edge. The Wildcats rank third in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 66.6 points a game, and are No. 4 in the conference in defense, holding opponents to just 56.5 points a contest. The ’Cats also top the CCAA is rebounding (averaging 41.4 boards a game) and steals (11.1 a contest), and are second in assists (15.0 a night). San Francisco State boasts only the 10th best offense in the CCAA, averaging 56.3 points a game, but the Gators are very strong on defense, surrendering just 56.0 points a night – third among conference teams – while opponents hit just 33.1 percent of their shots…tops the CCAA. The Gators are second only to Chico State in rebounding, averaging 41.1 boards a night.
As she has all season, Natasha Smith is the Wildcats’ leading scorer, averaging 11.0 points a game, while leading the CCAA with 3.8 assists a night. Melissa Richardson and Synchro Bull also provide some double-digit scoring, averaging 10.8 and 10.1 points a game, respectively; Richardson also ranks fifth in the conference with 51 3-point baskets. Christine Vest and Pauline Ferrall are Chico State’s top rebounders, combining for just under 12 rebounds a contest.
San Francisco State is led by senior forward Donisha Tate, averaging 11.9 points and a CCAA-leading 11.7 rebounds a game. Senior center Dominique Hunter chimes in with 8.2 points and 7.1 rebounds a contest, while senior guard Andrea Ohlssen is the Gators’ top 3-point shooter, with 35 treys to her credit. Senior guard Juliet Masei is also a long distance threat, having knocked down 29 3-pointers on the season.
In the two previous meetings this season, Natasha Smith averaged 14.0 points a game against the Gators, while Christine Vest pulled down a combined 18 rebounds. The Wildcats had problems containing Donisha Tate, who snared 27 rebounds over the two games and scored 16 points in Chico State’s 49-43 victory January 30. Dominique Hunter scored 13 points in each game for the Gators, and averaged nine rebounds against the Wildcats. There was not a lot of productivity from 3-point range when the two teams met this season – San Francisco State was a combined 1-for-23 from beyond the arc (an abysmal 4.3 percent), while the Gators were the only team to blank the Wildcats from 3-point land in a game all season (the ’Cats were 0-for-9 in the January 30 matchup).
Tuesday’s Chico State-San Francisco State matchup will not be broadcast locally on the radio, but will be available on the Internet with Mike Wessels handling the play-by-play. To listen to the game, go to www.espn1017.com and click on the link. The game can also be followed via Live Stats on the Wildcat Athletics website.
