Box Score POMONA – It was exactly the type of physical, defensive battle you'd expect from two of the top 10 defensive teams in the nation. When the Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball teams squared off Thursday at Kellogg Gym, points were predictably at a premium, with the contest appropriately coming right down to the wire. And for the second straight game, the Wildcats were stung by a bucket in the final seconds, as the Broncos converted a late three-point play to pull out a 67-64 victory.
Chico State slipped to 11-4 overall with Thursday's loss, and dropped into a fourth place tie in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with a 7-4 conference mark. Cal Poly Pomona improved to 12-3 on the season and 10-1 in CCAA play.
Sean Park led all scorers with 24 points while also grabbing five rebounds for the 'Cats. Rashad Parker contributed 13 points and seven boards, with Jordan Semple adding 10 points and six rebounds. Chico State shot a respectable 41.1 percent from the field, but hit only 17.4 percent of their 3-point attempts (4-for-23), and made only 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the free throw line.
A three-point play by Park and a layup by Parker staked Chico State to an early 5-1 lead. The game was tied at nine-all when Pomona went on a 9-2 run to go out in front 18-11. The Broncos were still up by seven when the Wildcats scored 10 unanswered points – Park, Parker and Giordano Estrada all knocking down 3-pointers – to give Chico State a 23-20 lead. A jumper by Parker put the Wildcats up by four with 3:02 remaining in the half, but Chico State was shut out for the rest of the period, as the Broncos used a late layup and three free throws to take a 30-29 lead at intermission.
Pomona went up by seven as the 'Cats were held scoreless for nearly three minutes to open the second half, but a three-point play by Park and an Amir Carraway layup brought Chico State to within one at 37-36. The Broncos scored eight of the next 10 points to take a seven point lead, but the Wildcats hung tough, twice cutting the deficit to three and trailed only 54-51 with 8:21 to play. Chico State missed a chance to pull closer, missing three straight free throws, and Pomona capitalized with a 6-2 run to go up 60-53.
The Wildcats continued to battle, with Park supplying nearly all of the offense – the senior delivered a layup, two free throws and a three-point play to highlight a 9-2 run to tie the game up at 62-all. Pomona knocked down a bucket to go back in front, but Park's layup with 49 seconds to play once again knotted up the contest.
As the clock ticked down, the Broncos missed two shots to retake the lead, but the Wildcats were unable to corral a rebound, resulting in Pomona's Quentin Taylor converting a crippling three-point play with just five seconds left. Chico State had just enough time to try to tie the game, with Carraway finding himself wide open on the inbounds pass. His 3-pointer fell short, however, giving Cal Poly Pomona a hard-fought 67-64 victory.
Chico State has an off day Friday before heading to Arcata Saturday to take on Humboldt State at Lumberjack Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
