Box Score TURLOCK – The Chico State men's basketball team got the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference schedule off to a rollicking start Saturday in Turlock, locking horns with Cal State Stanislaus in an overtime thriller that ended with the host Warriors squeaking out an 80-78 victory at Fitzpatrick Arena. The Wildcats battled throughout – at one point erasing a 12-point second half deficit – but in the end it was just too much Marcus Bell. The Division I transfer from the University of Idaho scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the extra period as Stanislaus handed the 'Cats their first loss of the season.
Saturday's setback evened Chico State's record at 1-1 on the young season, while Cal State Stanislaus improved to 2-0 overall.
Sean Park led four Wildcat scorers in double figures, pouring in a career-high 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including four from behind the 3-point arc. Giordano Estrada connected on five treys to finish with 20 points; Amir Carraway contributed 15 points and six rebounds, and Rashad Park chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds. Jordan Semple pulled down a team-high 10 boards for Chico State. The 'Cats shot 43.1 percent from the field, connecting on 11-of-30 from 3-point range.
Chico State used a Park 3-pointer and a Parker layup to give the Wildcats a quick 5-0 lead, only to see Stanislaus score six unanswered points to go out in front. Layups by Park and Nate Appel put the 'Cats back in front, and thanks to three Estrada 3-pointers and a trey by Carraway, Chico State extended its lead to 21-15. The Warriors promptly went on a 10-2 run to grab a 25-23 lead, and though Estrada briefly put the 'Cats back in front with his fourth 3-pointer of the period, Stanislaus held the Wildcats to just one basket over the final 4:54, scoring a dozen down the stretch to go into halftime with a 37-28 lead.
The Warriors stretched their lead to 42-30 with two early buckets to open the second period, but Chico State's defense clamped down as the Wildcats went on a 14-1 run – highlighted by two Park layups and a Parker 3-point play – to take a 44-43 lead with 12:08 to play. The two teams traded the lead over the next six minutes, and with Stanislaus on top 57-54, Park drained a 3-pointer to tie the contest with 5:15 left. Three Carraway free throws put the 'Cats up by 60-57, but the Warriors posted 10 of the next 14 points to take a 67-64 lead with just 14 ticks left on the clock. It turned out to be plenty of time for Chico State to pull even, as Carraway buried a 3-pointer with four seconds left to knot up the contest at 67-all and send the game into overtime.
A pair of Parker free throws gave the 'Cats the early lead in OT, and Park's fourth 3-pointer of the night made the score 72-69. But that's when Bell took over – his four straight free throws put Stanislaus on top 74-72, and following a game-tying layup by Park, Bell delivered a layup and two charity tosses to make the score 78-74 and put the Warriors in the lead for good. Shey Mataele hit a pair of big free throws for Stanislaus down the stretch, and they would turn out to be the difference – Carraway converted a layup for the 'Cats with 2.8 seconds left, then following a steal of the inbounds pass, Estrada's desperation shot to tie the game came up short, and the Warriors hung on for the 80-78 victory.
The Wildcats are back in action next Saturday afternoon, traveling to Redding to take on Simpson University in a non-conference tilt. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
