Box Score CARSON – With former Chico State Head Coach Molly Goodenbour at the helm, the days of Cal State Dominguez Hills being a “gimme” win on the women’s basketball schedule are officially over. Even though the Toros entered the season losing 52 of their last 59 games and featuring eight freshmen on the roster, Chico State was wise not to underestimate its opponent Saturday, because Dominguez Hills gave the No. 13 Wildcats all they could handle, slicing a 15-point halftime deficit down to one late in the second period. The ’Cats, with some clutch play down the stretch, were able to hold off a scrappy Toros squad and register a 70-63 win, giving Chico State three straight victories on its southern California road swing.
The Wildcats improved to 13-1 on the season and 9-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with Saturday’s win, while maintaining a two-game lead over second place UC San Diego in the conference standings. Cal State Dominguez Hills saw its mini-two game winning streak come to an end, as the Toros fell to 5-9 overall and 4-6 in CCAA play.
A night after scoring 15 points against Cal State L.A., Monnie Davidson-Mays poured in a career-high 18 points Saturday and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats. Three other Chico State players delivered double-digit scoring performances: Jazmine Miller had 17 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists; McKenzie Dalthorp contributed 16 points and five boards, and Synchro Bull added 10. Analise Riezebos chipped in with a team-high 11 rebounds, as the ’Cats won the battle of the boards 46-37. Probably the most important stat for Chico State: free throw shooting. The Wildcats hit 81 percent of their foul shots (25-for-31), including several down the stretch to secure the victory.
Chico State set the tone early – Hannah Womack opened the scoring with a 3-pointer as the Wildcats jumped out to an 8-0 lead. The Wildcats held Cal State Dominguez Hills scoreless for the first four-and-a-half minutes of the contest, but with the score 12-5, the Toros – sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers – tallied eight unanswered points to go up 13-12. The lead was brief, as the ’Cats answered with layups by Miller and Davidson-Mays to put Chico State back in front. With the score 16-15, the Wildcat defense took over, holding Dominguez Hills to just two field goals for the rest of the period. Meanwhile, the ’Cats’ offense delivered on multiple trips down the floor – with Miller providing seven points, Bull six and Davidson-Mays five, Chico State outscored the Toros 20-6 over the final 9:39 to take a 36-21 lead into halftime.
The Wildcats’ offense came out sluggish in the second half – with just two baskets in the first seven minutes, Dominguez Hills was able to cut the deficit to 40-33. Chico State righted the ship and quickly pushed its advantage back to double digits – buckets by Miller, Davidson-Mays and Dalthorp keyed an 8-3 Wildcat run to make the score 48-36. The Toros continued to battle, whittling the deficit down to two points with 6:38 remaining, but two Miller free throws and a basket by Davidson-Mays gave the ’Cats some breathing room at 57-51.
Dominguez Hills again pulled to within a bucket, but Bull answered with a layup and two free throws to push the Wildcats’ advantage to 61-55. The Toros again rallied, scoring five of the next seven points to make it a 63-62 game with 1:52 to play. The ’Cats, though, refused to fold, with Miller and Dalthorp delivering clutch layups and Davidson-Mays and Courtney Hamilton combining for three free throws in the final 35 seconds to lock down Chico State’s 70-63 victory, giving the Wildcats seven straight wins over Dominguez Hills.
The Wildcats return to Chico next weekend, hosting Cal State Monterey Bay Friday, with Cal State East Bay visiting Acker Gym on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
