Box Score SEASIDE – The Chico State men’s basketball team left nothing to chance Friday night. The Wildcats smashed Cal State Monterey Bay 91-60 in the regular season finale in Seaside to lock up a home game in the opening round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament and bolster its NCAA Championship Tournament resume.
The Wildcats scored 53 points in the first half – their most since 2005 – to take a 25-point lead into the break, and cruised to victory. Drew Kitchens led 11 Chico State scorers (including five in double-figures) with a career-high 14 points. Jordan Semple scored 13 and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Spencer Moyer sank 4-of-5 threes on the way to a career-high 12 points. Rashad Parker also scored 12 and dished out a career-best seven assists. And Amir Carraway chipped in 11 points.
Chico State’s bench outscored Cal State Monterey Bay’s 52-20 as the Wildcats knocked down 13 of 26 threes on the way to their seventh straight victory, matching their longest such streak since 2003.
At 17-9 overall and 14-8 in the CCAA, Chico State is the No. 3 seed in the eight-team CCAA Championship Tournament and will host No. 6 Cal State Dominguez Hills (Who else?) Tuesday at 7:30. It will be the second game of a doubleheader as the CCAA Champion Chico State women will take on San Francisco State at 5:30.
Tickets for Tuesday’s postseason opener are now available. Fans wishing to purchase tickets in advance to guarantee a specific seat can do so on Monday until 6 p.m. at the University Box Office, located at 3rd and Chestnut Streets, behind the new parking structure. The University Box Office phone number is 898-6333.
Current Acker Backers and Season Ticket holders will have their seats on hold until Monday at 6 p.m. All seats not purchased by that deadline will be released to the public at the Acker Gym Box Office on the day of the game.
The Wildcats and Toros have met in the first round of the CCAA Championship Tournament in each of the past four seasons. Chico State is 2-1 in those games, including last season’s 52-45 win in Acker Gym.
The first round of the CCAA tournament is hosted at campus sites. The seedings are as follows:
No. 8 Sonoma State at No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona
No. 7 UC San Diego at No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino
No. 6 Cal State Dominguez Hills at No. 3 Chico State
No. 5 Cal State L.A. at No. 4 San Francisco State
The winners will advance to Friday’s semifinal round at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario.
Visit the CCAA Championship Tournament Home Page for schedules, ticket information, and tournament history.
