POMONA – The desire was there; the offensive production, unfortunately, was not for the Chico State women’s basketball team Saturday. The Wildcats, facing one of the toughest defenses in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in Cal Poly Pomona, shot just 31 percent from the field, and with All-West Region standout Reyana Colson pouring in 26 points, the Broncos handed the ’Cats one of their most lopsided losses of the season, 62-42, at Kellogg Gymnasium. The 42 points marked the lowest scoring game for a Wildcat women’s basketball team in nearly two years.
Saturday’s loss – Chico State’s second straight and third in its last four games – dropped the Wildcats to 10-4 on the season and into fifth place in the CCAA standings with a 7-3 conference mark. Cal Poly Pomona won its fourth in a row to improve to 10-2 overall and 7-1 in CCAA play.
Harrison hit a career-high six 3-pointers to lead Chico State with 19 points on the night, just one off her single game career best. No other Wildcat scored more than five points Saturday; Taylor Lydon had a team-high four rebounds while Courtney Hamilton dished out four assists. In addition to leading all scorers with 26 points, Colson posted eight rebounds, two assists and two steals for Cal Poly Pomona, while La’kenya Simon West added eight points and eight rebounds for the victorious Broncos. Pomona outrebounded Chico State 43-30 and enjoyed a huge free throw advantage, outscoring the Wildcats 27-5 at the foul line.
Chico State jumped out to an early lead, as a three-point play by Pauline Ferrall put the Wildcats on top, 6-2. Cal Poly Pomona reeled off seven straight points to take the lead, and following a Lydon hook shot to make the score 9-8, the Broncos held the ’Cats scoreless for nearly six minutes while building a 13-8 advantage. Chico State bookended a Colson free throw with 3-point buckets; Harrison’s second trey of the game tying things up at 14 apiece. Pomona went back on top and was leading 20-18 when the Broncos outscored the Wildcats 14-3 in the final four minutes of the half. A Harrison 3-pointer was the lone score for the ’Cats during that unproductive stretch, and Pomona went into the locker room with a 34-21 halftime lead.
Chico State cut the deficit to eight early in the second half, as a Molly Collins jumper and a Harrison 3-pointer made the score 34-26. The Wildcats held Pomona without a field goal for over 11 minutes, but amazingly lost ground – the ’Cats could only convert two buckets of their own while the Broncos converted nine free throws to go back up by 13. Pomona extended its lead to 47-30, when Chico State made one last effort to get back into the contest – a Harrison 3-pointer and a Hamilton layup highlighted a 7-2 run to pull the Wildcats to within 12 at 49-37 with 4:35 to play. But that would be as close as Chico State would get, as the Broncos defense surrendered just one ’Cat basket the rest of the way – fittingly, a Harrison 3-pointer – and salted the game away with several free throws down the stretch to cruise to the 20-point win, holding Chico State to its lowest scoring night since dropping a 62-38 decision to UC San Diego back on Jan. 24, 2009.
BOX SCORE
Chico State returns home next weekend for the first half of a four-game homestand. Friday the Wildcats welcome San Francisco State to Acker Gym, followed by CCAA leader Cal State Monterey Bay Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
