CHICO – The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference season hasn't even reached the midway point, but the Chico State women's basketball team knows full well it needs a big push – and several big wins – over the final 12 games to play its way into the postseason. The Wildcats have the luxury of four straight home games starting Jan. 31, but this week Head Coach Brian Fogel's crew is on the road, traveling to Southern California Thursday to take on conference-leading Cal Poly Pomona, followed by a Saturday trip to Arcata to battle archrival Humboldt State. Both games are set to tip off at 5:30 p.m.

Where they stand: Chico State is 9-5 overall, and tied with San Francisco State for seventh place in the CCAA with a 5-5 conference mark. Last weekend the Wildcats split a weekend home series, falling to Cal State East Bay 64-61 Friday before handing Cal State Monterey Bay a 62-48 defeat on Saturday. Though the Wildcats have won three of the last four, they're still on the outside looking in for one of the top six spots in the standings and a trip to March's CCAA Championship Tournament.


Team stats: The 'Cats are third in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 71.1 points a game, and is ranked seventh among the 12 conference teams in defense, allowing 64.3 points per contest. Chico State remains the top-shooting team in the CCAA (44.3 percent), and is tied for the lead in team assists (15.1 a game). The Wildcats rank third in free throw percentage (71.8 percent) and fifth in steals (8.5 a game).

Individual achievements: Several players are representing Chico State at or near the top of the conference stat sheets:
     - Courtney Hamilton leads the CCAA (and ranks third in the nation) in assists, averaging 6.8 a game. The senior point guard is second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), tied for third in steals (2.4 a game) and fifth in blocked shots (1.2 per contest).
     - Hannah Womack is No. 1 in the CCAA (and eighth nationwide) in free throw percentage (91.4 percent). She also ranks eighth in the conference in 3-pointers (23).
     - McKenzie Dalthorp tops the CCAA in field goal percentage, shooting 53.8 percent on the season.
     - Analise Riezebos is third in the conference in field goal percentage (52.1 percent) and 12th in rebounding (6.8 boards per game).
     - Jazmine Miller, the Wildcats' leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, is fourth in the CCAA in free throw percentage (86.8 percent), seventh in 3-pointers (27) and 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (37.1 percent).
     - Annie Ward's 46.4 field goal percentage ranks 11th among CCAA shooters.

Cal Poly Pomona: The Broncos have improved greatly since finishing in sixth place in the CCAA a year ago – Pomona is ranked 14th in the nation thanks to a 12-2 overall record, and lead the CCAA with a 9-1 conference mark. The Broncos have won five straight (by an average on over 21 points a game) and 11 of their last 12 entering the week, including victories last weekend over Cal State L.A. (86-70) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (64-53).

At home: Cal Poly Pomona is 7-1 this season on its home floor, Kellogg Gym. The Broncos have not lost at home since dropping a 73-64 decision to Simon Fraser way back on Nov. 9.

Team stats: Pomona is the CCAA's top-scoring team, averaging 74.4 points a game, and is ranked sixth defensively, giving up 64.2 points a contest. The Broncos are tied with Chico State for the conference lead in team assists (15.1), and rank second in rebounding (43.1 boards a game), 3-point field goal percentage (35.5 percent) and free throw percentage (72.9 percent).

Broncos to watch: Junior center and reigning CCAA Player of the Week Jada Blackwell leads the conference in scoring (17.3 points a game) and is second in rebounding (9.5 a contest). Junior guard Ariel Marsh averages 15.1 points a game is the team's top 3-point shooter with 28 treys (sixth-most among CCAA players). Senior guard J.J. Judge contributes 11.1 points a game, while junior guard Lauren Goecke is tied for ninth in the CCAA in assists (3.1 a game).

Head to head: Chico State won both meetings last season, but Cal Poly Pomona has taken six of the last nine matchups dating back to the 2010-11 campaign. The all-time series has been played to a draw, with both teams winning 21 times. 

Humboldt State: The Lumberjacks, coached by former Chico State great Joddie (Vossler) Gleason, are 7-7 on the season and sit in ninth place in the CCAA with a 4-6 conference record. Humboldt dropped a pair on the road last weekend, falling to Cal State Dominguez Hills 79-61 and Cal State L.A. 77-63.

At home: Humboldt State is 3-2 on its home floor, Lumberjack Arena.

Team stats: The Lumberjacks are sixth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 69.6 points a game, but give up the most points of any team in the conference, surrendering 70.4 points per contest. Humboldt loves to chuck it from the cheap seats, as evidenced by its CCAA-leading 106 3-pointers. The Lumberjacks also lead the conference in free throw percentage (76.1 percent), rank third in blocked shots (3.4 a contest) and fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (35.2 percent).

Lumberjacks to watch: Junior guard Kersey Wilcox is second in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 17.1 points a game, while ranking second in assists (5.1 per game), 3-point field goal percentage (54.5 percent) and free throw percentage (89.6 percent). Junior guard Jae Shin averages 11.6 points a game and her 44 3-pointers are the most in the CCAA. Junior guard Danielle Gaumer has hit 22 treys and averages 8.9 points a game, while junior center Megan Shields contributes 10.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and a CCAA-best 2.5 blocks a game.

Head to head: Chico State swept the season series in 2012-13 and has beaten Humboldt in six of the last eight meetings between the two teams. The Wildcats lead the all-time series with the Lumberjacks, 66-20.

Coverage: Both games will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM and simulcast on the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats and streaming video will also be available on both Thursday and Saturday nights.