CHICO – Like nearly all her teammates last Saturday, Molly Collins had a horrible shooting night against Cal Poly Pomona, missing eight of nine shots as the Wildcats dropped a 20-point decision to the Broncos. It was a performance she and the ’Cats would not repeat Friday against San Francisco State – Collins was 8-for-15 from the field and led an attacking Wildcat offense with 16 points, as Chico State put the brakes on a two-game mini-losing streak with a 59-46 win over the visiting Gators at Acker Gym.
The victory – Chico State’s seventh at home this season – pushed the Wildcats overall record to 11-4 and into a tie for fourth place with UC San Diego in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with an 8-3 conference mark. San Francisco State dropped its 10th straight game Friday to fall to 1-14 on the season and 1-10 in CCAA play.
Collins was one of three Wildcats to score in double figures Friday; Taylor Lydon and Katie Girten both finished with 10 points. Lydon and Kristin Marquardt each pulled down nine rebounds as the ’Cats outrebounded the Gators 44-35 on the night. San Francisco State’s Dominique Hunter led all scorers with 20 points while hauling in a game-high 11 rebounds.
San Francisco State, one of the stingiest defensive teams in the CCAA, held Chico State to just two baskets in the first five-and-a-half minutes of the contest as the Gators took an early 6-4 lead. The Wildcats offense finally came alive, as a Collins layup triggered a 9-0 run that was concluded by a Girten 3-pointer. The Wildcats pushed its advantage to 19-10, but San Francisco State fought back, scoring 11 of the next 14 points to pull to within 22-21. Buckets by Collins and Marquardt kept the ’Cats in front, but the pesky Gators kept scrapping, and trailed by only two, 26-24, at halftime.
It was still a three-point contest six minutes into the second half before Chico State utilized a pair of Collins jumpers and a 3-pointer by Lydon to spur an 11-2 run to go up 45-33 with 9:48 to play. San Francisco State was twice able to whittle the deficit down to seven, but the Wildcat defense squashed any comeback hopes by holding the Gators to just two field goals and six points in the game’s final seven minutes. With the score 49-40, a Collins jumper gave Chico State a double-digit lead, and San Francisco State could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. Three late free throws by Jazmine Miller and a Girten 3-pointer with eight second left would put the finishing touches on the Wildcats’ 59-46 victory.
BOX SCORE
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday, hosting CCAA leader Cal State Monterey Bay. Thanks to an 83-71 road win Friday over Cal State Stanislaus, the Otters come to Chico a perfect 15-0 on the season – one of only four Division II teams in the nation that is still undefeated. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.; fans can follow the game via Live Stats, available on the Chico State Athletics website. The contest will also be broadcast live on ESPN 101.7 and 1340 AM locally and through the Wildcat Athletics website.
