SAN FRANCISCO –The Chico State women’s basketball team capped off the regular season with a spirited 15 minutes of basketball, erasing an 18-point deficit – and a six-game losing streak – by outscoring San Francisco State 40-17 in the second half and streaking to a 60-52 victory over the Gators Friday night at The Swamp on the San Francisco State campus. The victory gives the Wildcats a little momentum heading into Tuesday’s first round California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament game.
Chico State improved to 15-11 overall with the win – their first victory in over three weeks – and 12-10 in the CCAA, good for a fifth place tie in the conference standings. While the official announcement regarding CCAA Championship Tournament seedings has not been made, it appears that the Wildcats will draw the No. 6 seed. Chico State needs to win three straight and take the tournament crown to move on to the NCAA West Regionals. San Francisco State saw its season come to an end with Friday’s loss – the Gators finished 6-20 overall and 6-16 in CCAA play.
Taylor Lydon led the Wildcats with 14 points, knocking down three 3-pointers while grabbing six rebounds. Jazmine Miller contributed 11 points – all in the pivotal second half – while Analise Riezebos scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Dominique Hunter, playing her final game for San Francisco State, led all scorers with 22 points to go along with 14 rebounds, five assists and six blocked shots.
San Francisco State led for nearly the entire first half, and the Wildcats didn’t do much to help their cause, missing several layup opportunities in the period. Hunter was a dominant force for the Gators in the first 20 minutes of the contest, scoring 12 points while hauling down seven rebounds and posting four blocked shots. With the game tied at nine apiece, San Francisco State went on an 8-0 run to go up 17-9, but buckets by Riezebos and McKenzie Dalthorp pulled Chico State to within 16-13. The Gators responded by scoring 11 of the next 14 points to open up a 30-16 advantage. Lydon drained down a 3-pointer and hit a free throw for the ’Cats to cut the deficit to 10, but Hunter closed out the half with a three-point play and a pair of free throws to give San Francisco State its biggest lead, 35-20, at intermission.
The Gators scored five of the first seven points in the second half to build a quick 40-22 lead. But with 14:59 to go, Chico State finally caught fire – while the defense held San Francisco State without a field goal for nearly 12 minutes, the Wildcats went on a 22-2 run to take the lead. Back-to-back layups by Miller started the roll, and then Chico State reeled off 18 straight points – Riezebos converted a three-point play and a layup, Katie Girten nailed a 3-pointer and Molly Collins hit a pair of buckets…her layup with 7:26 left to play putting the ’Cats on top 44-42. After the Gators swished a free throw, Chico State used a pair of Lydon 3-pointers to key an 8-1 run and take a 52-44 lead. Hunter scored the next six San Francisco State points to pull the Gators to within two, but a Riezebos free throw and layups by Miller and Courtney Hamilton upped the ’Cats advantage to 57-50 with 43 seconds remaining. Miller iced the game with three free throws down the stretch, completing the convincing second half comeback and giving Chico State the 60-52 victory.
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Chico State will be in action Tuesday night in the opening round of the CCAA Championship Tournament. For official listings of seeds, matchups, times and game locations, visit the CCAA website at www.goccaa.org.
