Box Score SAN BERNARDINO – It was a game that Head Coach Brian Fogel called “a grinder.” The Chico State women’s basketball team, trying to bounce back after dropping its first decision of the season the night before, committed an uncharacteristic 22 turnovers Saturday against Cal State San Bernardino, but the Wildcat defense would save the day by stepping up in crunch time, holding the Coyotes without a field goal over the final 6:04 of the contest. That allowed the No. 9 ’Cats to outscore San Bernardino 11-2 down the stretch and pull out a hard-earned 62-56 road win at Coussoulis Arena.
Saturday’s win improved Chico State’s record to 11-1 overall, and kept the Wildcats in sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 7-1 conference mark. Cal State San Bernardino dropped to 6-6 on the season and 4-4 in CCAA play.
Courtney Hamilton matched her Wildcat career high with a team-high 16 points Saturday while also contributing seven rebounds and four assists. Jazmine Miller posted her second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, with McKenzie Dalthorp adding 12 points and eight boards. Chico State shot 45.3 percent from the field and outrebounded San Bernardino 48-33.
The one Coyote the Wildcats had no answer for – at least for the first 34 minutes of the contest – was Trinidee Trice, who scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Chico State held Trice scoreless, though, over the game’s final six minutes.
The Wildcats committed several early turnovers, allowing Cal State San Bernardino to jump out to a 10-6 lead to open Saturday’s contest. Jumpers by Dalthorp and Hamilton and two Analise Riezebos free throws gave Chico State its first lead of the night at 14-12, then after the Coyotes caught the ’Cats at 16-all, baskets by Miller, Synchro Bull and Hannah Womack put Chico State back on top 22-18. San Bernardino held the Wildcats to just one field over the next seven-and-a-half minutes, outscoring Chico State 12-4 during the stretch to go out in front 30-26, but a buzzer-beating jumper by Miller brought the ’Cats back to within a deuce, with the Coyotes taking a 30-28 lead into the locker room at intermission.
San Bernardino extended it advantage to 34-28 early in the second half, but a Womack 3-pointer and a trio of buckets by Dalthorp keyed an 11-3 Chico State run to put the Wildcats on top 39-37. The Coyotes re-grabbed the lead at 43-41, only to see Bull score the ’Cats’ next five points to push Chico State back in front 46-44. Trice snapped a 51-all deadlock with a three-point play to give San Bernardino a 54-51 lead with 6:04 to play, but thanks to an effective zone defense employed by the Wildcats, the Coyotes were 0-for-9 from the field, committed a pair of turnovers and netted just a pair of free throws the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Hamilton scored five points in an 8-0 Chico State run, and with 37 seconds remaining, the ’Cats opened up a 59-54 lead. San Bernardino hit a pair of foul shots to make it a one-possession game, but Hamilton calmly canned three free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal Chico State’s 62-56 victory.
Chico State returns to action next weekend, returning to southern California for road contests against Cal State L.A. Friday and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday. Tipoff for both games are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
