CHICO – With nine home games in its last 11 outings, the Chico State women’s basketball team will hit the road this weekend for only the second time since Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest rang in 2012. The Wildcats have played well away from Acker Gym, winning seven of 10 road contests so far this season, and with a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament first-round home game still up for grabs, the ’Cats will need to pack their A-game as they travel to take on No. 1-ranked UC San Diego Friday and Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Both games will tip off at 5:30 p.m.

Chico State enters the weekend 12-8 overall and in sixth place in the CCAA with a 9-7 conference record. The Wildcats, vying to finish in the top four and earn a first-round CCAA Championship Tournament home game, begins play just a game back of fifth place Humboldt State and two games behind Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A. for third. The ’Cats, winners of two of their last three, split a pair of home contests last weekend, dropping an 83-74 decision to Cal Poly Pomona Friday before beating San Francisco State 63-51 Saturday at Acker Gym.

The Wildcats currently rank fifth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 65.5 points a game, but are ninth among the 12 conference teams in defense, allowing 62.0 points a contest. Chico State is the top free throw shooting team in the CCAA (78.7 percent) and third in the nation, and is second in the conference in assists (13.0 a game), third in field goal percentage (40.5), and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (30.4) and steals (9.3 a game).


UC San Diego, which hosts the ’Cats Friday, earned the nation’s No. 1 record thanks to a 22-0 overall record; the Tritons are 16-0 in conference play and have already clinched a CCAA Championship Tournament berth. UC San Diego, which has outscored its opponents by an average of nearly 20 points a game this season, rolled to double-digit wins over Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills last weekend.

In keeping with their perfect record, the Tritons are ranked at or near the top of nearly every CCAA team statistical category. UC San Diego leads the conference (and is ninth in the nation) in scoring (78.7 points a game), rebounding (42.0 a contest), assists (17.7 per night) and field goal percentage (45.7), while ranking third in 3-point field goal percentage (33.8) and steals (9.5 a game). The Tritons also boast the fourth-best defense among CCAA teams, holding opponents to 59.2 points per game. UC San Diego is 11-0 this season on its home floor, RIMAC Arena.

UC San Diego features four of the top 11 scores in the conference, with Chelsea Carlisle leading the way. The senior guard is second in the CCAA in scoring (16.1 points a game) and leads the conference in assists (6.2 a game), 3-pointers (46) and steals (2.7 a contest). Sharp-shooting junior guard Emily Osga is averaging 12.8 points a game, and is fourth in the CCAA in field goal percentage (51.9 percent) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9). Senior center Lauren Freidenberg is fifth in the conference in rebounding (8.0 a game), while averaging 12.6 points a night on 54 percent shooting. Senior guard Daisy Feder (12.5 points a game) has hit 39 3-pointers on the season – third most in the CCAA.

In the first meeting between the two teams, UC San Diego escaped with a 97-91 double overtime win Jan. 7 at Acker Gym despite a career-high 29 points from Synchro Bull. It marked the only game this season that UC San Diego failed to best an opponent by double digits. The Tritons have beaten the Wildcats four straight times and seven of the last eight heading into Friday’s matchup to lead the all-time series, 16-11.

Cal State San Bernardino has a lot to play for this weekend – despite a 7-13 season record, the Coyotes are squarely in the mix for one of the eight CCAA Championship Tournament berths, tied with Sonoma State and San Francisco State for seventh place with a 6-10 conference record. San Bernardino snapped a four-game losing streak and bolted into the postseason picture with a sweep of Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. last weekend at Coussoulis Arena, improving the Coyotes’ home record to 3-5.

Cal State San Bernardino isn’t a prolific scoring team, ranking eighth in the CCAA with an average of 57.2 points a game, but the Coyotes are solid defensively, holding opponents to 59.9 points a contest (fifth-best in the CCAA) and ranking fourth in the conference in blocked shots (2.7 a night).

Despite lacking a potent offense, San Bernardino does claim two of the top four scorers in the conference. Senior guard Angela Streets tops the CCAA with a 16.2 points-per-game average, while holding a share of the conference lead with 46 3-points on the season. Senior guard Eliza Dy (14.7 points a game) is fourth in the CCAA in scoring, and ranks third in assists (3.7 per contest). Junior forward Kristen Huffman is the Coyotes’ low-post presence, averaging 7.2 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.

Chico State held San Bernardino to just 25.9 percent shooting in the first meeting of the season, with the Wildcats prevailing 53-39 Jan. 6 at Acker Gym. The ’Cats lead the all-time series 20-11, though the two teams have split the last eight meetings.

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 also be streamed online through the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats are available via the conference website.