CHICO – The numbers certainly weren't pretty at the start. Through the first 11 minutes of its season opener versus Dominican, the Chico State women's basketball team had hit just three of 18 shots and were already trailing the Penguins by 10. When the Wildcats finally heated up, they were not to be stopped, scoring 16 of the period's final 18 points to take the lead at halftime, then outscoring the Penguins 33-13 at the beginning of the second half to roll to a 68-54 victory Saturday afternoon at Acker Gym.

 

Hannah Womack led three Wildcats in double figures, knocking down five 3-pointers and scoring 14 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. True freshman Whitney Branham, making her Chico State debut, racked up 12 points, while Annie Ward contributed 10 points and a team-leading five assists. Brooke Bowen and Chanelle Di Croce made their presence known in their first game as Wildcats, pulling down 10 and eight rebounds, respectively. Every 'Cat that played scored as Chico State won its season opener for the 16th consecutive season and seventh straight under Head Coach Brian Fogel.
 
Baskets by Bowen and Michelle Walker gave Chico State an early 4-2 lead in the opening period, but save for a 3-pointer by Branham and buckets by Bowen and Tyler Prange, the 'Cats could get nothing going offensively, allowing Dominican to go on a 21-9 run to move out in front 23-13. With 5:38 to go in the period, Womack buried her first trey of the day to kick-start the Wildcat offense, and led by multiple baskets from Branham and Walker, Chico State put together a 16-2 run to go into halftime up 29-25.
 
The Wildcats continued to hit on all cylinders at the start of the second half, with Womack nailing two early 3-pointers and Ward cashing in a pair of layups to put Chico State up 44-32. After Dominican converted a layup to cut the deficit to 10, the 'Cats essentially put the game away with an 18-4 run – highlighted by 3-pointers from both Womack and Ward – to extend their advantage to 62-38 with eight minutes to play. The Penguins could get no closer than 14 the rest of the way, as Chico State ran out the clock to cruise to the 68-54 victory.
 
The Wildcats are back in action next weekend, traveling to St. George, Utah to take part in the two-day Dixie Thanksgiving Classic. Friday Chico State takes on host Dixie State at 4 p.m. Pacific time, then wraps up the tournament with an 11 a.m. Saturday showdown against Alaska Fairbanks.