CHICO – The Chico State women's basketball team has certainly taken advantage of its nearly uninterrupted four-week residency at Acker Gym. The Wildcats have won five of six at home since Jan. 10, and thanks to their current stretch of seven wins in the last eight games, have worked their way to near the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. The 'Cats enjoy two more home tilts this weekend, welcoming another CCAA contender, UC San Diego, on Friday, with the always-tough Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes in town Saturday. Tipoff for both games is 5:30 p.m.

Where they stand: Riding their season-best five game winning streak, Chico State is 13-5 overall and 9-5 in the CCAA, putting the Wildcats in a three-way tie for third place with Cal State L.A. and Cal State Easy Bay. The 'Cats visited both ends of the victory spectrum last weekend at home, beating Sonoma State handily 79-45 on Friday, then coming from behind in dramatic fashion to edge San Francisco State 67-66 on Saturday.


Team stats: The Wildcats rank third among the 12 CCAA teams in scoring, averaging 71.9 points a game. Defensively, Chico State is sixth in the conference, giving up 63.9 points a contest. The 'Cats are tops in the CCAA in assists (15.3 a game) and rank second as a team in field goal percentage (43.6 percent), third in free throw percentage (73.6 percent), and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (33.8 percent) and steals (8.3 per game).

Individual achievements: Chico State is well represented among the CCAA's statistical leaders:
     -- Courtney Hamilton leads the conference (and is third in the nation) in assists, averaging 6.7 a game. She's also No. 1 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0), second in steals (2.4 a game) and blocked shots (1.1 a contest)
     -- Jazmine Miller, the Wildcats' leading scorer (13.6 points per game) ranks 11th in the CCAA. Miller is the conference's third most accurate free throw shooter (87.0 percent), is sixth in 3-pointers (36) and 10th in 3-point field goal percentage (35.6 percent).
     -- Hannah Womack is second in the CCAA (and 13th in the nation) in free throw percentage (90.0 percent), is tied for seventh in the conference in 3-pointers (33), and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (37.5 percent).
     -- Analise Riezebos is fourth in the CCAA in field goal percentage (51.7 percent) and 10th in rebounding, averaging 7.0 boards a game.
     -- McKenzie Dalthorp is sixth among conference players in field goal percentage (51.0 percent).
     -- Annie ward is 11th in the CCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (35.6 percent) and 12th in 3-pointers (26).

UC San Diego: The Tritons come to Chico sporting an 11-7 season record and occupying sixth place in the CCAA with an 8-6 conference record. UC San Diego is in the midst of a tough stretch, dropping two straight and three of its last four. Last weekend the Tritons fell at home to both Cal Poly Pomona (73-67) and Humboldt State (63-50).

On the road: UC San Diego is 5-2 on the road so far this season. In an interesting bit of scheduling, Friday's contest versus the Wildcats is just the third game the Tritons have played away from RIMAC Arena since December 7.

Team stats: UC San Diego ranks ninth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 64.7 points a game, and is fifth in defense, surrendering 63.6 points a contest.

Tritons to watch: Junior guard Miranda Seto, who sat out last Saturday's loss to Humboldt State due to injury, is fourth in the CCAA in scoring (15.5 points a game) and is ranked in the conference's top 10 in steals (third, 2.3 a game), 3-point field goal percentage (seventh, 38.9 percent) and 3-pointers (tied for ninth, 28). Senior guard Megan Perry averages 11.4 points a contest and is fourth in the CCAA in 3-pointers (38). Senior forward Erin Dautremont averages 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, while junior guard Stephanie Yano is fourth in the CCAA in assists (3.9 a game).

Head to head: The Tritons beat the Wildcats 76-65 in the season's first meeting on Jan. 4 in La Jolla. Chico State has lost nine straight to UC San Diego and 12 of the last 13 dating back to the 2008-09 season. The Tritons lead the all-time series, 21-11.

Cal State San Bernardino: The Coyotes have played several teams tough this season, but it isn't reflected in their win-loss record – San Bernardino is 4-13 overall and in 10th place in the CCAA with a 3-11 conference mark. The Coyotes, who have lost four games this season by five points or less, has dropped its last four decisions heading into the weekend. Last week San Bernardino fell to Humboldt State 61-51 and then took Cal Poly Pomona to overtime, but lost 76-73.

On the road: Cal State San Bernardino is 2-6 away from its home floor, Coussoulis Arena. The Coyotes are 1-4 on the road in conference play.

Team stats: The Coyotes are 10th in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 57.8 points a game. Defensively, though, San Bernardino is near the top of the conference rankings, allowing the fourth-fewest points per contest (63.2). The Coyotes don't attempt a lot of 3-pointers – they have hit just 43 treys all season and are shooting only 21.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Coyotes to watch: Sophomore guard Alexica Mack is San Bernardino's leading scorer, averaging 13.2 points per game while posting a team-high 15 3-pointers and 28 steals. Senior guard Tayllor Gipson is averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 2.6 assists per game, while senior guard/forward Trinidee Trice contributes 10.8 points a contest. Sophomore guard/forward Adriana Brodie ranks 11th in the CCAA in rebounding (6.9 a game).

Head to head: San Bernardino made Chico State work, but the Wildcats prevailed 67-64 Jan. 3 in the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The 'Cats have beaten the Coyotes five straight and lead the all-time series 24-11.

Coverage: Both games will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM and simulcast on the Wildcats Athletics website, with Mike Baca and Mike Wessels handling the play-by-play. Live Stats will also be available online.