TURLOCK – It took a little while to get the offense untracked Saturday, but when the Chico State women's basketball team started connecting, the points came at a season-high clip. After hitting just four of their first 19 field goal attempts, the Wildcats shot nearly 50 percent the remainder of the game and posted 50 second half points to outgun Cal State Stanislaus 85-79 at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock to notch the team's first conference victory of the season.
 
Saturday's win snapped Chico State's two-game losing streak and moved the Wildcats to 4-3 on the season and 1-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Stanislaus dropped its fourth in a row to fall to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
 

The Wildcats featured five players in double figures, with Hannah Womack leading the way with a career-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds. Whitney Branham added a career-best 18 points and pulled down six rebounds, while Michelle Walker contributed 11 points and nine boards. Annie Ward and Chanelle Di Croce chipped in with 10 points apiece, with Tyler Prange hauling in a career-high seven rebounds. Chico State outrebounded Stanislaus 49-36 on the night, while the Wildcats hit 86.2 percent of their free throws (25-of-29).
 
Thanks to Chico State's sluggish start offensively, Cal State Stanislaus built an early 7-2 lead, but the Wildcats tied the contest with a 5-0 run courtesy of a Branham free throw and buckets by Womack and Ward. The Warriors scored 11 of the next 15 points to go back up 18-11; however, the 'Cats answered with a 19-5 run – highlighted by a Walker three-point play and 3-pointer baskets by Branham and Prange – to roar out in front 30-23 with 3:39 in the period. Womack drained a 3-pointer and Walker a layup late in the half, and at intermission Chico State owned a 35-30 lead.
 
The two teams played it pretty evenly for the first five minutes of the second half, but back-to-back baskets by Brooke Bowen pushed the 'Cats advantage to 52-44. Stanislaus whittled the deficit to three, only to see Chico State rip off seven unanswered points – Womack's three-point play sandwiched between a Walker layup and two Bowen free throws – to give the Wildcats a 59-49 lead. The Warriors once again rallied, pulling to within four, but a 3-pointer by Womack made it a 64-57 contest with nine minutes to play.
 
A 6-1 Stanislaus run pared the 'Cats' lead to two, but once again Chico State responded – while holding the Warriors without a field goal for over five minutes, Branham delivered a layup and four free throws, and Womack knocked down two charity tosses and a 3-pointer to highlight an 11-1 Wildcat run to make the score 76-64. Stanislaus hit a few late 3-pointers, but could get no closer than six the rest of the way, as Chico State posted the 85-79 victory.   
 
Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus will meet again next Saturday, this time at Acker Gym. The game, scheduled to tip off at 5:30pm, will wrap up the regular season series between the two teams.