Box Score CHICO – It’s no accident the Cal State Monterey Bay women’s basketball team boasts one of the top 10 defenses in all of Division II basketball – the Otters are flat out relentless, making their opponents work for every single point. Chico State found that out firsthand Friday, connecting on just 29 percent of its field goal attempts on the night and managing just one basket in the final four minutes as Monterey Bay outscored the ’Cats 11-2 down the stretch to come away with a 51-44 victory at Acker Gym.
With the loss, Chico State’s first at home this season, the No. 9 Wildcats slipped to 13-2 overall and 9-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The ’Cats remain in sole possession of first place in the conference standings, but their lead was trimmed to just one game thanks to Friday wins by UC San Diego, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State L.A. Cal State Monterey Bay won its fourth straight Friday to improve to 10-3 on the season and 7-3 in CCAA play, pulling to within a game-and-a-half of the front-running Wildcats.
Synchro Bull led the ’Cats Friday, coming off the bench to score a team-high 12 points. Monnie Davidson-Mays contributed 10 points, while Courtney Hamilton added five points, eight rebounds and three assists.
The tone of the defensive-oriented game was established early, with each team scoring just four points in the first five minutes. Chico State finally got hot, outscoring Monterey Bay 11-1 over the next four minutes – a Jazmine Miller 3-pointer capping off the run to give the Wildcats a 15-5 lead. The Otters cut the deficit to three at 17-14, only to see the ’Cats rip off seven unanswered points – a Sam Messersmith 3-pointer and buckets by Bull and Davidson-Mays – to go back up 24-14. But the Wildcats suddenly sputtered, as the Otters’ defense held Chico State to just one bucket over the final 6:45 of the period and scored 15 of the half’s final 19 points to take a 29-28 lead into intermission.
Chico State continued to struggle offensively to open the second half, missing its first eight shots as Monterey Bay extended its advantage to 35-28. The Wildcats slowly whittled down the Otters’ lead, and a Hamilton layup brought Chico State to within 37-36 with 6:53 to go. A three-point play by Bull tied the game at 39-all, and after Monterey Bay retook the lead, Hannah Womack drained a long 3-pointer to put ’Cats on top 42-40 with 3:57 remaining. But from that point on, it was all Otters, as they held Chico State to just 1-of-7 shooting down the stretch, with Monterey Bay taking the lead for good with 2:42 left. A layup by Davidson-Mays made it a 45-44 contest, but it was the Wildcats’ last gasp, as the Otters scored three baskets in the final 1:26 put the game out of reach. Monterey Bay, thanks to a defense that caused Chico State to miss 27 of its last 33 shots, ran out the clock to post the 51-44 victory.
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday, hosting Cal State East Bay at Acker Gym. The Pioneers (6-8, 4-6 CCAA) come to Chico following Friday’s 53-35 road victory Friday over Cal State Stanislaus.
Tipoff for Saturday’s contest is 5:30 p.m. Mike Baca will describe the action locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY as well as on the internet via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats will also be available online.
