CHICO – Based on the last few weeks, it appears the Chico State women’s basketball team is peaking at just the right time. Having won three straight and four of the last five, the Wildcats have already assured themselves a spot in next week’s California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament. But as they prepare for their final two regular season games, the ’Cats have so much more to play for – a first round home tournament game and the chance to climb from their No. 10 West Region ranking and earn an NCAA Championship Tournament berth. Chico State hosts a pair of teams with similar postseason aspirations, as Cal State Monterey Bay visits Acker Gym Thursday night, with Cal State East Bay following on Friday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.

The Wildcats enter play 15-9 on the season and in sixth place in the CCAA standings with a 12-8 conference record, but are just a game out of third, trailing Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State L.A. and Humboldt State. Chico State needs to beat both the Otters and Pioneers and get a little help to leapfrog the three-team logjam and lock up one of the top four spots in the standings, thus securing a first round home game in the CCAA Championship Tournament. The ’Cats won the season’s first meeting against both Monterey Bay and East Bay, but are just 5-5 playing at Acker Gym this season.

Chico State comes into the regular season’s final week on a major roll. Besides the three straight wins – including 32- and 27-point road victories over Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills last weekend – the Wildcats are averaging 77 points over their last seven games. As a result, Chico State ranks third in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 67.6 points a contest. The Wildcats lead the conference and are sixth in the nation in free throw shooting (77.6 percent), while ranking second in the CCAA in assists (13.5 a game), third in field goal percentage (41.8) and rebounding (38.2 a contest), and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (31.2) and steals (8.6 a game). Defensively, the ’Cats are ninth among the 12 conference teams, allowing an average of 62.7 points per game.


Jazmine Miller, averaging 10.4 points a game, is still the top free-throw shooter in the CCAA, connecting on 88.9 percent of her four shots. Miller is also eighth in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (35.5) and 10th in 3-pointers per game (1.6). Wildcat teammate Courtney Hamilton is eighth in the CCAA in assists (2.7 a game), while Courtney Harrison in ninth in 3-point field goal percentage (34.1).

Cal State Monterey Bay, the Wildcats’ Thursday night opponent, is 17-7 overall and in second place in the CCAA with a 14-6 conference record. The Otters, ranked No. 4 in the West Region, have also clinched a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament and must win one of their two remaining games for a first round home tournament game. Monterey Bay stumbled last weekend, losing at home to UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino. The Otters have played well on the road this season, winning six of nine away from their home floor, The Kelp Bed.

Monterey Bay enters play sixth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 64.7 points a game; defensively, the Otters rank sixth, allowing 59.8 points a contest. Monterey Bay is ranked second in the conference in blocked shots (2.9), third in rebounding (38.2) and fifth in field goal percentage (40.0) and assists (11.9 a contest).

The Otters are led by senior guard Brandi Stephens, averaging 11.0 points a game. Junior forward Brittani Jefferson contributes 9.6 points a game and ranks in the CCAA top 10 in field goal percentage (seventh, 50.5) and rebounds (eighth, 7.5 a game). Senior guard Erika Ward (8.0 points a game) and junior guard Stefanie Corgel (9.5 points a night) have combined to hit 92 3-pointers on the season.

In the season’s first meeting Jan. 21, Jazmine Miller led three Wildcat scorers in double figures in Chico State’s 63-58 win at The Kelp Bed. The ’Cats lead the all-time series with the Otters, 12-3.

Cal State East Bay, which visits Acker Gym Friday following its Thursday night matchup in Turlock against Cal State Stanislaus, is 11-15 on the season and tied with Sonoma State and Cal State San Bernardino for seventh place in the CCAA standings with an 8-12 conference mark. The Pioneers are fighting for one of the two remaining CCAA Championship Tournament slots, so they’ll be approaching the final two regular season games with a “win or go home” attitude. East Bay climbed into the postseason picture with a four-game winning streak in early February; since then, the Pioneers have lost two of their last three. East Bay split its two games last weekend, beating Cal State San Bernardino 58-52 before bowing to No. 1 UC San Diego 75-57. East Bay comes to Chico with a 6-8 road record on the season.

The Pioneers aren’t a big scoring team – East Bay ranks ninth in the CCAA, averaging 56.3 points a game. Defensively, though, the Pioneers are fourth in the conference, allowing just 58.7 points a game. East Bay ranks seventh in the CCAA in field goal percentage (38.7), 3-point field goal percentage (29.6) and free-throw percentage (67.9).

Freshman guard/forward Micah Walker is East Bay’s top offensive threat, averaging 9.0 points a game, and leads the team with 31 3-point buckets. Junior forward Marlene MacMillan averages 8.5 points a game and is fourth in the CCAA in rebounding (9.0 boards a contest). Junior forward Lauren Lucchesi has drained 28 3-pointers on the season and is averaging 8.5 points a game.

In the season’s first meeting between Chico State and East Bay, the Wildcats outscored the Pioneers 35-20 in the second half to post a 60-51 Jan. 20 in Hayward. Dating back to 1970, the ’Cats lead the all-time series, 50-12.

Both Thursday and Friday 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.