ARCATA – Almost two years ago to the day at Lumberjack Arena, the Humboldt State women’s basketball team handed Chico State a lopsided 85-55 loss in the finals of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament. Fast forward to Feb. 28, 2012 – on the very same floor, it was the Wildcats’ turn to hand the Lumberjacks a bitter conference tournament defeat. Despite playing without Synchro Bull for the entire second half, the ’Cats squeaked out a 62-60 win to not only advance to Friday’s tourney semifinals, but also strengthen the team’s chances for earning an NCAA Championship Tournament berth.
“There’s no quit in this team,” Chico State Head Coach Brian Fogel said after the game. “This is up there with one of the better wins that we’ve had.”
The Wildcats had to fight an uphill battle without the services of Bull, who went down hard with 2:47 remaining in the first half. She wore an icepack on her knee for the rest of the period, and did not return in the second half.
While Fogel was concerned about having to battle the Lumberjacks without the ’Cats’ top point producer, he and the rest of the Wildcats didn’t panic. “We’re a team,” Fogel said during the postgame celebration. “One person goes down, somebody else steps up.”
As for Bull’s availability for the rest of the tournament, Fogel remained optimistic. “I don’t know what’s going on with Synchro, but I don’t think it’s too serious,” he said. “Maybe we can get her back and continue this journey.”
The fourth-seeded Wildcats, now 18-9 on the season, will travel to La Jolla’s RIMAC Arena on the campus of UC San Diego to take on No. 2 seed Cal State Monterey Bay Friday at 5:30 p.m. Monterey Bay, which has lost twice to Chico State this season, advanced Tuesday with a 46-43 victory over seventh-seeded Cal State East Bay. The other CCAA Championship Tournament semifinal matchup will pit No. 1 seed UC San Diego against the sixth seed, Cal State L.A. The Tritons, the conference’s regular season champion, beat Sonoma State Tuesday 70-53, while the No. 6 Golden Eagles scored an 80-78 upset win over third-seeded Cal Poly Pomona.
Meanwhile, Chico State helped its NCAA Championship Tournament hopes significantly. The Wildcats, the West Region’s 10th-ranked team, need to move up to at least No. 8 to continue their season following the conference tournament. The win over Humboldt State, ranked eighth in the West, might be just enough to push the red-hot ’Cats into NCAA Tournament play.
Courtney Hamilton led three Wildcats in double figures, matching her career high of 16 points while also dishing out seven assists. McKenzie Dalthorp dropped in 13 points and snared eight rebounds, with Caressa Williams coming off the bench to score 11 points and turn in an exceptional game on the defensive end, constantly disrupting Humboldt’s long-range shooters in her 26 minutes of action. Kayla Williams of the Lumberjacks led all scorers with 22 points.
Humboldt State threatened to make the contest a one-sided affair, jumping out to a quick 9-2 lead in the first half. Chico State answered with eight straight points – highlighted by a Hamilton 3-pointer – to go up 10-9. The lead see-sawed back and forth, with the Lumberjacks going out in front 23-20 with seven minutes left in the half. The Wildcats, despite losing Bull late in the period, used buckets by Dalthorp, Hamilton, Caressa Williams, Crystal Sewell and Natasha Smith to close out the half on an 11-6 run, taking a 31-29 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Chico State stayed on the attack to open the second half, outscoring Humboldt 15-7 in the first six-and-a-half minutes to build a 46-36 advantage. The Lumberjacks got right back in the contest by scoring nine unanswered points, and with the Wildcats still up 52-47, Humboldt went on a 6-0 run to grab a 53-52 lead. Chico State went back on top courtesy of a Dalthorp three-point play, but Humboldt erased a four-point deficit with a Kayla Williams 3-pointer and a jumper by Patrice Saindon to go back in front 60-59 with 3:11 remaining. With their season on the line, the ’Cats’ defense stiffened, holding the Lumberjacks scoreless the rest of the way, and free throws by Caressa Williams and Ymonne Davidson-Mays gave Chico State a 62-60 lead with 26 seconds left. Humboldt State had two opportunities to score in the game’s final seven seconds, but Kelly Kine’s runner was off the mark and Caitie Richards missed a desperation heave as the buzzer sounded, giving the Wildcats their second victory over the Lumberjacks in three tries this season.
BOX SCORE
Friday’s game against Cal State Monterey Bay (19-8 overall) will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM, and simulcast on the Internet through the Wildcat Athletics website.
