SEASIDE – The Chico State women’s basketball team otter feel really good on the bus ride home from the Kelp Bed. Synchro Bull and Courtney Hamilton each sank two huge free throws in the final minute, Bull’s breaking a deadlock with 51 seconds left and Hamilton’s making it a two possession game with 25 ticks to go, lifting the Wildcats to their biggest win of the season, 63-58, over 22nd-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay at the Saturday night.
“This was our biggest win of the season to date,” said a giddy Wildcats Head Coach Brian Fogel following the win. “They just battled and battled and
battled. Everybody that played tonight contributed. I can’t say enough about the effort.”
The Wildcats battled on the defensive end, holding the Otters to their second lowest scoring output of the season and their lowest at home on just 33
percent shooting. Freshman Caressa Williams came off the bench to lead the resistance and notched a career best two steals.
They battled on the boards, outrebounding Cal State Monterey Bay 41-40 just a night after the Otters outrebounded Cal State Stanislaus by 22. Hamilton and Jazmine Miller led the way with seven boards apiece and Bull pulled down six. Hamilton’s total is a new career high. She also matched her career high with 10 points.
They battled through adversity too. The Wildcats watched an 11-point lead with 8:20 to play get whittled away, and eventually evaporate when Erika Ward banked in a desperation 3-pointer with 55 seconds left with the shot clock winding down.
But the Wildcats would not let the Otters cash in all the way. Bull was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and knocked down both free throws with 51 seconds left. Hamilton then corralled the rebound on a potential go-ahead 3-point attempt, was fouled, and knocked home two more charities to make it a two-possession game with 25 ticks remaining.
Miller got the rebound after another missed three and made one of two for the final margin of victory.
The Wildcats improved to 10-6 overall and 7-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). With just its third home loss in the past two seasons, the defending CCAA regular-season champion Otters fell to 12-3 overall and 9-2 in the CCAA.
Miller finished with a team-high 15 points and dished out three assists to go along with her seven rebounds. Hamilton had 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting, seven rebounds, and two assists. Bull contributed 11 points, six rebounds, a block and a steal. Led by Ymonne Davidson-Mays’ seven points and two assists, the Chico State bench outscored Cal State Monterey Bay’s 22-10.
The Wildcats will now look for their first three-game winning streak of the season when they host Sonoma State Friday night to start a four-game homestand. They enter the weekend just a game out of fourth place in the CCAA standings and will take on both of the teams currently tied for fourth place – Humboldt State and Cal Poly Pomona – during this huge four-game stretch.
“We need to make this a positive and establish a little bit of momentum and get on a roll,” said Fogel.
GAME NOTES – The Wildcats improved to 7-0 when shooting a higher field goal percentage than the opposition this season and 9-2 when holding the opposition to less than 45-percent shooting…The Wildcats have won 108 of last 117 when holding their opponent to fewer than 60 points…Natasha Smith, still finding her way back after suffering a bad knee injury last season, got the start, playing in her 112th game in a Chico State uniform, passing Samantha Copenhanver to move into fifth on Chico State’s all-time list…Chico State snapped a three-game losing skid against Cal State Monterey Bay after having won their first eight meetings…The Wildcats entered the weekend ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage at 79.1 percent. But after making 39-of-46 (85 percent) from the line over the last two nights, that number is now 80.2…The School record is 73.8… Chico State’s cross country and women’s soccer programs, which all fared well in this fall’s NCAA Championships, will be honored at halftime of Friday night’s men’s game.
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