CHICO – Based on the overall numbers, the Chico State women’s basketball team is in the midst of another successful season, and with a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament bid already clinched, the Wildcats are assured of seeing some postseason action. Exactly how much postseason play – and the chance to earn a possible NCAA West Region berth – will depend largely on how the ’Cats fare over the last two weeks of the regular season, with three of their four upcoming opponents occupying the upper tier of the conference standings. The Wildcats return to Acker Gym for their final homestand of the 2010-11 campaign, hosting Cal Poly Pomona Friday and Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
Chico State enters the weekend 14-8 on the season, but has dropped its last three games to fall to fifth place in the CCAA standings with an 11-7 conference mark. With last week’s two road losses to Cal State East Bay and UC San Diego, the Wildcats also dropped out of the NCAA West Region top 10 rankings. Things don’t get a whole lot easier for the ’Cats – following this weekend’s home games with CCAA leader Pomona and fourth place San Bernardino, Chico State travels to Seaside to battle second place Cal State Monterey Bay Feb. 24. The Wildcats are 0-5 this season against the CCAA’s current top four teams.
Chico State ranks seventh in the conference in offense, averaging 62.2 points a game. The Wildcats are still fifth in the CCAA in defense, allowing just 58.5 points a contest, but have surrendered over 70 in each of their last games. The ’Cats rank second in the conference in assists (14.8 a game), third in rebounding (38.6 a contest) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (35.0).
Molly Collins leads the Wildcats on the individual stat sheet, ranking 22nd among CCAA players with a 9.9 per game scoring average. Courtney Harrison is averaging 8.1 points a contest and is No. 3 in the conference with 43 3-pointers. Pauline Ferrall is also scoring at an 8.1 points-per-game clip, while Kristin Marquardt is Chico State’s leading rebounder, averaging 4.9 boards a night. Courtney Hamilton ranks second in the CCAA in assists, averaging 4.6 dishes a game; she’s also the only freshman ranked in the top 50 nationally in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.84).
Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State’s Friday night opponent, is enjoying a phenomenal season. The Broncos, 19-2 overall and leading the CCAA with a 16-1 conference record, have won 13 straight (their last loss was way back on Dec. 30) to vault into the No. 1 position in the latest NCAA West Region rankings. Pomona posted a pair of home victories last weekend, beating Humboldt State 74-59 Friday and besting Sonoma State 55-48 on Saturday. The Broncos actually have a better record on the road (10-1) than they do on their home floor – Pomona’s lone loss away from Kellogg Gymnasium was a season-opening setback to Division I University of Nevada.
The Broncos are ranked in the top five in several CCAA team statistical categories. Pomona is third in the conference in both offense (averaging 69.9 points a game) and defense (allowing just 55.2 points a night). The Broncos lead the CCAA in rebounding (39.4 boards a game), are second in steals (9.3 a night) and 3-point field goal percentage (36.0), and rank fifth among conference teams in field goal percentage (39.6).
Cal Poly Pomona features one of the top players in the CCAA in guard Reyana Colson. The senior from Compton leads the conference in scoring (averaging 20.2 points a game) and is third in assists (4.6 a contest) and ninth in rebounding (6.6 boards a night). Junior center Megan Ford is also among the CCAA’s top 10 in scoring, averaging 12.1 points to go along with 7.3 rebounds a game. Forward La’Kenya Simon West tops a list of six Broncos with double-digits in 3-pointers – the senior has knocked down 32 treys on the season and is averaging 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds a game.
Chico State leads the all-time series with Pomona 19-18, but the Broncos won the first meeting between the two teams this season, downing the Wildcats 62-42 Jan. 15 at Kellogg Gymnasium (Colson led all scorers with 26 points; Courtney Harrison registered a career-high 19 points to lead the ’Cats). Pomona has beaten Chico State in three of the last four head-to-head matchups.
Cal State San Bernardino, which comes to Chico following its Friday matchup against Cal State Stanislaus, enters the week 17-4 on the season and in fourth place in the CCAA with a 13-4 conference mark. The Coyotes have won six of their last eight, though they split a pair of home games last weekend, dropping a 50-47 decision to Sonoma State Friday, then winning in overtime Saturday against Humboldt State, handing the Lumberjacks an 86-84 defeat. Like Pomona, San Bernardino has excelled on the road this season, winning 11 of 13 away from its home floor, Coussoulis Arena.
The Coyotes are sixth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 63.4 points a game, but they claim the second-best defense in the conference, giving up just 55.0 points a contest. San Bernardino leads the CCAA in blocked shots (4.0 a game) and is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (40.0).
Senior guard Eisha Sheppard is the CCAA’s fifth-leading scorer, averaging 15.3 points a game; she also aids the Coyotes’ cause with 4.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists a night. Senior guard Sabrina Gonzalez averages 10.9 points a game and has drained a team-high 33 3-pointers. Senior guard/forward Danielle Shows contributes 8.0 points and leads San Bernardino in rebounding, pulling down 5.8 boards a game.
The Wildcats have won 19 of 29 meetings with the Coyotes all-time, but it was San Bernardino who was victorious Jan. 14, beating Chico State 61-56 at Coussoulis Arena (Gonzalez paced the Broncos with 17 points in that game; Harrison was tops for the Wildcats with 13 points). A San Bernardino win Saturday will give the Coyotes a sweep of the season series.
Chico State fans can follow both Friday and Saturday games via Live Stats, available on the Wildcat Athletics website. The games will also be broadcast live on ESPN 101.7 and 1340 AM locally, as well as through the Wildcat Athletics website. Mike Wessels will provide the play-by-play.
