Box Score ROHNERT PARK – Chico State men’s basketball coach Greg Clink asked for game-7 type intensity. Those fortunate enough to catch Mike Baca’s call on Newstalk 1290 KPAY heard a playoff-quality broadcast. The Wildcats rose to the occasion, erasing an eight-point halftime deficit to win at rival Sonoma State 71-60 Saturday night.
It was ironic that the Wildcats stopped their five-game road losing skid in the Wolves’ Den, traditionally a house of horrors for the Wildcats. It was just their second win there in 16 years.
Fifth-year senior Damario Sims bounced back from one of his worst games as a Wildcat, with one of the best halves of his storied career – a 15-point second stanza.
Sims capped an 18-7 surge with a 3-pointer that gave the Wildcats their first lead of the second half, 48-47, with 8:45 to play. He hit another trifecta 44 seconds later that again gave the Wildcats a one-point lead. And with 7:07 left he put them in front for good, this time attacking the paint and scoring on a drive.
Sims’ slashing score sparked a 7-0 rally that put Chico State in control. And after Sonoma State cut the lead to four, Sims again scored inside with 2:11 left. He then made three of four foul shots in the final minute to put the game away.
The win bumped Chico State to 11-9 overall and 9-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). It also provided a happy ending to what has been a brutal stretch in which the Wildcats played eight of 10 on the road. They had lost six of seven on the road before Saturday’s win.
The Wildcats are now in a three-way tie for fifth in the conference standings and one game out of fourth with six to play, beginning with four in a row at home over the next two weekends. The top four teams earn the right to host a first-round CCAA Championship Tournament game. The top eight advance to the postseason.
Sims wasn’t the only Wildcat that played a strong second half. Rashad Parker poured in 10 of his 12 points in the second stanza and Amir Carraway scored nine of his game-high 20 as the Wildcats outscored Sonoma State 49-30.
They shot 59 percent (17-for-29) in the second half and hit five of their eight 3-point tries after making only one of 12 in the first half.
The Wildcats also got big contributions off the bench from Mike Rosaroso, Drew Kitchens, Jordan Barton, and super-sub Jordan Semple. Rosaroso railed a game-tying 3-pointer with 15:22 to play and added two rebounds, an assist and a steal in 14 minutes. Kitchens, who did not play Friday night, scored five points in seven second-half minutes. Barton finished with nine points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes. And Semple also had seven rebounds to go along with three points and his 50th career blocked shot.
I final bit of irony came when Sims sank the first of two free throws with 42 seconds left in the game, sponsored on Newstalk 1290 KPAY by Grower Direct Nut Co. and owner Aaron Martella. That free throw, Sims’ 1,080th point, moved him past Martella and into 10th place on Chico State’s career scoring list.
Chico State returns home to take on Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego next weekend and Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. the week after that before wrapping up the regular season at Cal State East Bay (Feb. 28) and Cal State Monterey Bay (March 1).
