Upon the release of the 2012-13 schedule, many Chico State basketball fans immediately took note of an arduous section in which the Wildcats would play eight of 10 on the road during the heart of their conference schedule. Those fans that didn’t take note prior to the season undoubtedly have by now.
The defending California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Champion Wildcats have gone just 1-5 away from home during the first three legs of that stretch while basically dropping out of CCAA title contention. They’re 10-8 overall and 7-7 in the CCAA. They’ll play the final two games enter the final leg of this strenuous stretch Friday at San Francisco State and Saturday at Sonoma State.
On the bright side, the Wildcats are still in in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings. Whether they’ll enter their final six-game stretch gunning for a first-round home playoff game (awarded to the top four teams in the final standings) or simply trying to hang on to a CCAA Championship Tournament berth (top eight) could very well hinge on their performance this weekend.
The Wildcats are only two games behind San Francisco State (11-7 overall and 9-5 in the CCAA) in the race for third place. But they’re also just two games ahead of ninth-place Humboldt State. Sonoma State is tied for seventh at 8-10 overall and 5-9 in the CCAA.
COMPLETE CCAA STANDINGS
Mike Baca will have the play-by-play on AM 1290 KPAY both nights. His broadcasts will also be streamed online at www.chicowildcats.com.
The Wildcats beat both San Francisco State and Sonoma State at home earlier this season. They beat San Francisco State 72-50, earning their largest margin of victory over the Gators since an 88-61 home win on Jan. 21, 2006.
Rashad Parker led the way with 15 points, three assists and two steals. Damario Sims stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and a steal. Jordan Semple finished with 10 points and eight rebounds in his first collegiate start, filling in for the injured Sean Park. Jason Conrad also grabbed eight boards, blocked two shots, and finished with eight points.
San Francisco State, meanwhile, entered the evening averaging more than 74 points per game before being held ton then season-lows in scoring, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, and assists.
The night before, the Wildcats got their most lopsided win against Sonoma State since Feb. 1, 1985, with an 82-65 win.
Rashad Parker scored what was then a career-high 17 points and partnered with Damario Sims beautifully in the backcourt. Sims matched his career high with nine assists while setting a new personal standard with four steals.
The Wildcats also got 32 points off their bench led by Jordan Semple’s 13. Starters Amir Carraway and Sean Park poured in 10 points apiece. Chico State also outscored Sonoma State 25-7 in points off turnovers and had 16 fast-break points to the Seawolves’ two.
The Wildcats have won three straight and 22 of the past 34 meetings against San Francisco State, Chico State’s longest running rival. These teams have squared off at least twice a season since 1932-33 and Friday night will mark their 194th meeting. San Francisco State leads the series 100-93.
Meanwhile, this will mark the 85th meeting between Chico State and Sonoma State. The Wildcats hold a slight 43-41 edge thanks to wins in their last two matchups. They ended the Seawolves’ season in shocking fashion at the CCAA Championship Tournament last season, scoring five points in the final 12 seconds, capped by Damario Sims’ long jumper at the buzzer, to win 76-74.
