Box Score CHICO – The Chico State women’s basketball team had little trouble penetrating Friday against Cal State Dominguez Hills, but when the shots underneath weren’t falling, the No. 13 Wildcats simply kicked the ball outside, resulting in a season-high torrent of 3-point buckets. The ’Cats hit 13 treys – six by Hannah Womack, who scored a career-high 24 points – to post a 73-58 win over the Toros at Acker Gym.
The victory puts Chico State at 20-3 on the season, and combined with Cal State East Bay’s victory over UC San Diego Friday, the Wildcats are back in sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 16-3 conference record. Cal State Dominguez Hills, led by former Chico State head coach Molly Goodenbour, dropped its fifth straight to fall to 7-16 overall and 6-13 in CCAA play.
In addition to Womack’s 24 points, Jazmine Miller threaded four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, while Synchro Bull turned in a great all-around performance, scoring 10 points, pulling down seven rebounds, dishing out five assists, grabbing three steals and blocking two shots. The Wildcats shot 61.9 percent from behind the arc, including eight of 10 in the first half. Robynn Cochran had 19 points to lead the Toros.
Chico State led from wire to wire, using a Courtney Hamilton 3-pointer to jump out to a quick 7-2 lead. Dominguez Hills pulled to within 14-13, but Womack repeatedly kept the Wildcats on top with her behind the arc artistry. Three 3-pointers over a two minute period put the ’Cats up 25-17, and as the first half wound down, treys by Miller, Womack and Annie Ward extended the lead to 34-20. The Toros cut the deficit to single digits before Analise Riezebos hit a jumper with 1:10 left in the period to give Chico State a 40-29 halftime lead.
The Wildcats wasted little time extending the advantage to 18, as a Miller 3-pointer highlighted a 13-6 run to open the second half to make the score 49-31. Dominguez Hills answered with a run of its own scoring 20 of the next 29 points, pulling to within seven with 7:10 to play. Chico State went back to what fueled their offensive attack the entire night, using 3-point buckets by Miller and Womack to fuel a 13-1 run to make the score 71-52 and essentially put the game out of reach. The Wildcats eventually rolled to the 73-58 victory and a sweep of season series with the Toros.
The Wildcats take on Cal State L.A. Saturday night in the home regular season finale. The Golden Eagles (16-10, fifth in the CCAA with a 11-8 conference record) clinched a CCAA Championship Tournament berth with a 79-59 Friday over Cal State Stanislaus.
Saturday is also Senior Night, with Wildcats Synchro Bull, Monnie Davidson-Mays and Sam Messersmith being honored in special pre-game ceremonies. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
Mike Baca will provide the play-by-play locally on Newstalk 1290 AM KPAY and on the internet via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats will also be available online.
CLICK HERE for online audio broadcast
CLICK HERE for Live Stats
