Box Score LOS ANGELES – Rarely does a team commit close to two dozen turnovers against a talented opponent and live to tell about it in the winner’s circle. The Chico State women’s basketball team coughed up the ball no less than 23 times in its Friday road matchup with Cal State L.A., but thanks to an always-aggressive offense and a defense that held the Golden Eagles to just three field goals over the final 9:33 of the contest, the No. 13 Wildcats outscored L.A. 18-8 down the stretch to come away with a 73-67 victory, ending the Golden Eagles’ four-game winning streak.

With the win, Chico State improved to 12-1 on the season and 8-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The victory over Cal State L.A. (11-5, 6-3 CCAA), combined with San Diego’s loss Friday to Cal State Monterey Bay, gave the first place Wildcats a two-game lead in the conference standings. 

Hannah Womack led the Wildcats, connecting on four 3-pointers to finish with a career-high 16 points. Monnie Davidson-Mays also had her best scoring night ever as a Wildcat, pouring in 15 points while grabbing six rebounds. McKenzie Dalthorp was 7-of-8 from the field to score 14 points, with Courtney Hamilton chipping in with nine points, five assists, five rebounds and two blocks. Analise Riezebos added seven points and 10 rebounds, and Jazmine Miller, despite a 1-for-13 shooting night, led the Wildcats with 11 boards to go along with five steals. Bree Parsons led Cal State L.A., coming off the bench to score 16 points.


Chico State raced out to an 11-3 first half lead on the strength of a Womack 3-pointer, buckets by Dalthorp and Hamilton, and a pair of free throws by Riezebos. Cal State L.A. scored seven unanswered points to pull to within one, only to see the Wildcats rip off a 10-3 run – highlighted by two more Womack treys – to extend their advantage to 21-14.

The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to 21-20, but the ’Cats scored 11 of the next 15 points to go up 32-24. Cal State L.A. quickly mounted a 9-1 run to catch Chico State at 33-all, but were shut out over the final 3:12 of the period. The Wildcats utilized a Hamilton 3-pointer and layups by Womack and Davidson-Mays to score nine straight points and take a 42-33 lead into halftime.

The two teams exchanged buckets through the first three minutes of the second half, with Chico State maintaining a 48-39 lead. The Wildcats, though, began to turn the ball over at an alarming rate, allowing Cal State L.A. to climb right back into the contest. The Golden Eagles pulled to within three with an 8-2 run, but Chico State stemmed the tide with layups by Riezebos and Hamilton to stay on top 54-47. Cal State L.A. promptly answered with eight straight points to go out in front, 55-54 with 11:07 to play.

The Golden Eagles extended its lead to 59-55, but the Chico State defense held Cal State L.A. scoreless for the next five minutes, allowing the Wildcats to chip away at the deficit. A Davidson-Mays jumper finally ended the ’Cats’ own six-minute field goal drought, with free throws by Riezebos and Davidson-Mays putting Chico State back in front and continuing what would be a 14-2 Wildcat run to make the score 69-61.

Two Golden Eagles baskets and a pair of Tessondra Williams free throws pulled Cal State L.A. to within four at 71-67, but Hamilton buried two huge free throws with 33 second left, and Chico State successfully ran out the clock to post the hard-earned 73-67 victory.

The Wildcats wrap up their second straight southern California road swing Saturday when they travel to Carson to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills (5-8, 4-5 CCAA), which has won two straight and four of its last six contests. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.

The game will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290 AM KPAY, and will be simulcast on the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats and streaming video will also be available online.

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