CHICO – The second half of a four-game road trip begins Thursday for the Chico State women’s basketball team, as the Wildcats take on Cal State East Bay in Hayward before heading down to southern California for a Saturday showdown with UC San Diego. The two games are big for the ’Cats, who are trying to position themselves in the upper reaches of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference standings while moving up the ladder in the NCAA West Region rankings. Both contests are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
Chico State enters play 14-6 on the season and in fifth place in the CCAA with an 11-5 conference mark. The Wildcats split its two road games last week, beating Sonoma State 64-44 on Thursday, but saw their three-game winning streak go by the boards Saturday with a 76-60 loss to Humboldt State. The ’Cats, with a 5-4 record away from Acker Gym, begin the week’s action ranked eighth in the NCAA West Region, and will need a strong finish to stay in the top eight and qualify for national postseason play.
The Wildcats are averaging 62.0 points a game on offense – seventh among CCAA teams – but has scored an average of just 54.7 points over their last eight contests. Chico State’s defense continues to be solid – despite giving up 76 points to Humboldt State last Saturday, the Wildcats’ 57.0 points-per-game average is fifth-best in the conference. The ’Cats rank second in the CCAA in both rebounds (39.3 a game) and assists (15.0 per contest), and are fourth in the conference in 3-point shooting percentage (34.8).
Molly Collins is still Chico State’s leading scorer, averaging 9.7 points a game, and remains one of the top free throw shooters in the CCAA (92.9 percent). Courtney Hamilton is second in the conference in assists, averaging 4.8 dishes a game, and she ranks No. 1 in the nation among freshmen in assists and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88). Courtney Harrison is third in the CCAA in 3-point baskets, averaging just under two treys a game.
Cal State East Bay, Chico State’s Thursday night opponent, has struggled this season, owning a 2-18 overall record and a share of 11th place in the CCAA with a 2-14 conference mark. The Pioneers dropped a pair last week, losing Thursday to Cal State Monterey Bay 52-21 (scoring only nine second half points), then falling to San Francisco State Saturday, 49-46. East Bay has lost five of its last six contests, and is just 1-8 this season on its home floor, Pioneer Gymnasium.
The Pioneers are ranked near the bottom of most of the CCAA’s team offensive categories, but East Bay has played well defensively this season, ranking sixth in the conference by allowing just 60.8 points a game. Offensively, the Pioneers average a paltry 46.8 points a contest – only San Francisco State has scored less among CCAA teams this season.
Cal State East Bay is led by sophomore forward Lauren Lucchesi, who averages 7.7 points a game and tops the Pioneers with 23 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Marlene MacMillan contributes 6.6 points a game and averages 8.7 rebounds a contest – fourth best in the CCAA. Freshman guard Maria Dinesen is East Bay’s other outside shooting threat, with 19 3-pointers and a 5.8 points-per-game average.
Chico State was an easy winner over East Bay in their first meeting of the season – the Wildcats beat the Pioneers 74-47 Jan. 8 at Acker Gym, with Courtney Harrison and Pauline Ferrall scoring 12 points apiece for the victorious ’Cats; Lauren Lucchesi was the game’s high scorer with 14. Chico State leads the all-time series 49-11 and has won 14 straight games since 1993, dating back to when the Pioneers were known as Hayward State.
UC San Diego, which hosts the Wildcats following its Thursday matchup against Cal State Stanislaus, has rebounded from a slow start this season to currently being one of the CCAA’s hottest teams. The Tritons are 14-9 overall and in fourth place in the CCAA with a 12-4 conference mark. UC San Diego enters the week having won four straight and 10 of its last 12, including home victories last Thursday over San Francisco State (59-52) and Saturday against Cal State Monterey Bay (58-48), knocking the Otters out of first place in the CCAA standings. The Tritons are tough at RIMAC Arena, having won eight of 11 on their home floor this season.
Statistically, UC San Diego is easily the best shooting team in the CCAA, leading the conference in offense (73.5 points a game), field goal percentage (42.6), free throw percentage (73.6), while ranking second in 3-point field goal percentage (36.8). The Tritons are tops in the CCAA in assists (16.0 a game) and third in steals (8.7 a contest). UC San Diego definitely likes to shoot 3-pointers – the Tritons average over 22 shots a game from behind the arc. The one thing UC San Diego doesn’t do well is defend – the Tritons rank ninth in the CCAA, allowing opponents an average of 65.6 points a game.
Junior guard Chelsea Carlisle, last season’s conference Most Valuable Player, is once again one of the CCAA’s top performers, leading UC San Diego in scoring (18.3 points a game, second among conference players), assists (5.7 a contest, tops in the CCAA), 3-point baskets (a conference-best 56) and steals (2.5 per game, third in the CCAA). Carlisle is complemented by three other players scoring in double figures: sophomore guard Emily Osga is averaging 12.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game while knocking down 36 3-pointers; junior center Lauren Freidenberg contributes 10.6 points a contest and is eighth in the CCAA with 6.7 rebounds a night; and junior guard Daisy Feder is second in the conference with 49 3-pointers while averaging 10.2 points a game.
Behind 26 points by Carlisle and 17 by Feder – the duo combining for nine 3-pointers – UC San Diego beat Chico State 73-53 Jan. 7 at Acker Gym in the season’s first meeting between the two teams. The Tritons have won seven of the last 10 matchups with the Wildcats and hold a 13-11 lead in the all-time series.
Both Chico State women’s basketball games will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM and 1340 AM locally, as well as on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website. Mike Baca will provide the play-by-play.
