Jay Flores takes a short step into the shot, deftly flips his wrist, and the ball breezes through the air before sliding through the twine. He made his four 3-pointers and 16 points look much easier than it really is. Still, shooting the ball was the senior’s easiest task Saturday night. Flores held California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) leading scorer Mark Samuels to three points and without a field goal, keying a strong defensive effort in the Wildcats’ 65-47 win over Cal State East Bay Saturday night at Acker Gym.
Roderick Hawkins led all scorers with 19 points and Sean Park scored 13 as the Wildcats improved to 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the CCAA. Chico State’s start matches the program’s best through 12 games since the 1942-43 team started 10-2.
The Wildcats, tied for fifth with San Francisco State in the conference standings, are a game behind third-place Cal State L.A. and percentage points back of fourth-place Cal State San Bernardino. Cal State Dominguez Hills and Humboldt State are tied atop the
CCAA standings at 7-1. The top eight teams in the conference will earn a spot in the CCAA Championship Tournament, and the top four teams will earn the right to host a first-round game.
Roshun Wynne paced Cal State East Bay with 11 points and Will Freedman chipped in nine for the Pioneers (2-10 overall, 0-8 CCAA). Flores held Samuels, who was averaging nearly 16 points per game, to 0-for-7 shooting from the field.
Chico State leading scorer Damario Sims struggled to score as well Saturday. But the scintillating sophomore picked up the slack with a season-high eight rebounds and dished out three assists while scoring seven points. Zach Graves and Jason Conrad made key contributions off the bench, pulling down six rebounds apiece.
Hawkins, who scored 17 points Friday, turned in repeat performance. He hit 5-of-6 shots and got to the foul line with a litany of aggressive drives and dynamic footwork. Though he struggled a bit at the stripe, hitting just 9-of-17, he did get the Pioneers in foul trouble. Brandon Hrboka fouled out with 10 minutes left and four others finished with four fouls.
The Wildcats fell behind 4-0 early but took the lead for good on a Flores triple that made it 9-6 seven minutes in. That was part of a 15-0 run capped by a Flores-to-Hawkins hookup for a transition layup that made it 19-6 with 6:57 left in the half.
The Pioneers, still pining for their first CCAA win, put up a fight, trimming the lead to 30-23 by the break. Freedman and Wynne combined for 11 points during the 17-11 run that ended the half.
But twice Flores canned kick-outs from beyond the arc in the first two minutes of the second half, and the Wildcats’ lead, which eventually grew as large as 20, never dipped below nine after that.
Chico State is on the road at Cal State San Bernardino next Friday and Cal Poly Pomona Saturday before returning home for four straight home games to end January. The Wildcats host San Francisco State and Cal State Monterey Bay Jan. 21-22 and Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. Jan. 27-28.
BOX SCORE
