Box Score CARSON – Missing three starters due to injury, one could argue that the Chico State men’s basketball team didn’t have much of a shot heading into its game at Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday night. Of course, that would be referring to the word “shot” in terms of opportunity or chance.
It was actually the Wildcats’ in-game shot attempts that sealed their fate.
The Wildcats missed 42 of their 51 field goal attempts in a 67-41 loss at the Torodome. The 41 points are the fewest Chico State has scored since, not coincidentally, a 55-40 loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Jan. 23, 2010. The team’s nine field goals on 17.6-percent shooting are the lowest on record.
Chico State made the trip south without starter Sean Park, lost center Jason Conrad for the weekend to an injury with five minutes remaining Friday night, and then Amir Carraway to another injury shortly thereafter.
Damario Sims was the lone Wildcat in the starting lineup to have started a collegiate game prior to this season. Sophomores Mike Rosaroso and Jordan Barton were in the starting lineup for their first time since high school, joining fifth-time starter Jordan Semple, and Rashad Parker, who was inserted into the starting lineup in the fifth game of this season.
The combination simply didn’t work. In fact, none of the combinations Head Coach Greg Clink sent onto the floor did. The Wildcats missed their first six shots and turned it over twice before scoring. They fell behind 16-3 before James Staniland made the team’s second field goal with a little less than nine minutes left in the first half.
That actually sparked a 7-0 Chico State swing that trimmed the lead to 22-10. But the Toros answered with a 13-1 run and led by at least 15 for the rest of the night.
The Wildcats went to the half down 35-14 and Cal State Dominguez Hills threw water on any comeback hopes by scoring the first four points of the second stanza.
Chico State drew within 15 when Spencer Moyer hit a three and then grabbed a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup with 13:25 to play. But the Toros scored the game’s next six points.
Semple led Chico State with nine points and seven rebounds. Sam Hicks and Parker scored seven apiece.
The Wildcats, now 8-6 overall and 5-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, are alone in sixth place. Yet they’re only a game behind three teams tied for third: San Francisco State, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Cal State L.A.
Chico State will hope to heal up and heat up this week while preparing to host Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay next weekend.
