CHICO – The Chico State women’s basketball team was looking for a little head of steam heading into the second half of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule, and they got it last weekend with road wins over Cal State East Bay and No. 22 Cal State Monterey Bay. The Wildcats now attempt to keep that positive roll going as they get their second look at conference opponents. The ’Cats return home Friday to face Sonoma State, with Humboldt State visiting Acker Gym on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m. 

Chico State enters the weekend with a 10-6 record overall and in sixth place in the CCAA with a 7-5 conference mark. Thanks to last Friday’s 60-51 win over Cal State East Bay and Saturday’s 63-58 upset victory over nationally-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay, the Wildcats are actually playing better on the road (7-3) than they are at home (3-3). A victory over Sonoma State on Friday will give the ’Cats their first three-game winning streak of the season. 

The Wildcats currently rank sixth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 64.9 points per game, but are ninth on defense, allowing 61.4 points a contest. Chico State is the top free throw shooting team in the conference (80.2 percent), and ranks fourth in the CCAA in assists (12.6 a game), fifth in rebounding (38.1 per contest), and sixth in both field goal percentage (39.7) and 3-point field goal percentage (30.6).


Jazmine Miller is 17th in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 10.9 points a game, while Courtney Hamilton ranks third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2) and fourth in assists (3.1 a game).

The Wildcats’ Friday night opponent, Sonoma State, comes to Chico with a 6-10 season record and tied for seventh place in the CCAA with a 4-8 conference mark. After dropping a 73-57 decision last Friday to No. 1 UC San Diego, the Seawolves snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 54-46 win over Cal State San Bernardino. Sonoma State is 3-6 on the road this season.

Sonoma State has struggled at times offensively – the Seawolves are 10th in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 56.4 points a game. But Sonoma has stayed competitive thanks to its top-ranked defense, which surrenders just 54.6 points a contest. The Seawolves are fourth in the conference in blocked shots (2.8 a game), fifth in free throw percentage (68.5) and sixth in assists (11.3 a game).

Sonoma State is led by senior guard Jaclyn Bisordi, averaging 10.1 points a game and boasting a team-high 17 3-pointers. Senior center Ali Conway, an All-CCAA selection last season, is averaging 6.5 points and 5.6 rebounds a game, while junior guard Alysa Ito ranks ninth in the CCAA in assists (2.5 per game).

Despite letting a 22-point second half lead nearly get away, Chico State won the first meeting of the year with Sonoma State, beating the Seawolves 62-56 on Dec. 19, with Bull and Miller combining for 31 points in the victory. The Wildcats have won four straight and 12 of the last 14 against the Seawolves to lead the all-time series, 58-17.

Humboldt State, which comes to Acker Gym following its Friday matchup in Turlock against Cal State Stanislaus, enters the weekend 12-4 on the season and in fourth place in the CCAA with an 8-4 conference mark. The Lumberjacks have been inconsistent of late, having split their last six games after starting the season 9-1. Last weekend Humboldt beat Cal State San Bernardino 71-65, but were soundly defeated the following night by UC San Diego, 74-49. The Lumberjacks have played well on the road this season, winning six of its nine games away from their home floor.

Humboldt State is currently fourth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 66.4 points a game, while on defense, the Lumberjacks rank seventh, giving up an average of 60.6 points a contest. Humboldt is second among conference teams in steals (9.9 a game), third in rebounding (39.9 a game), assists (12.6 per contest) and 3-point field goal percentage (33.8), and fourth in field goal percentage (40.2).

Lisa Petty, an All-CCAA First Teamer in 2010-11, is enjoying another productive season for the Lumberjacks – the junior guard is eighth in the CCAA in scoring (13.5 points a game), ninth in free throw percentage (76.2) and 10th in rebounding (7.3 boards a contest), while connecting on 23 3-pointers. Junior guard Caitie Richards is sixth in the conference with 28 3-pointers while averaging 11.1 points a game, and senior guard Kayla Williams is another key player in the Humboldt State offense, averaging 10.6 points a game and ranking second in the CCAA in both assists (4.1 a game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). Senior forward Whitney Howard is averaging 10.4 points a contest, shooting a conference-best 57.5 percent from the field, while senior forward Bree Halsey, another all-conference selection from a year ago, is second in the CCAA in rebounding, averaging 9.6 boards a night.

In the first meeting this season, Humboldt State beat Chico State 72-62 Dec. 17 at Lumberjack Arena in Arcata. All-time, though, the Wildcats have the edge, winning 62 of the 82 games between the two teams.

Both Friday and Saturday games will be aired locally on Newstalk 1290-AM KPAY with Mike Baca handling the play-by-play. The broadcast will be streamed online through the Wildcat Athletics website, with Live Stats for both contests also available online.