CHICO – The Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills women's basketball programs know each other extremely well. The Wildcats and Toros have met at least twice a season since 1998, and have faced each other three times in the seven years the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament has been played. This season, however, marks the first time the two teams have tangled in the postseason in pursuit of the Division II national championship, as Chico State and Dominguez Hills square off Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional. The game will tip off at 5 p.m. at Kellogg Gymnasium on the Cal Poly Pomona campus.

Where they stand: Chico State, the No. 5 seed in the NCAA West Regionals, is 18-9 on the season, but has struggled since winning seven straight Jan. 18-Feb. 8. The Wildcats have dropped four of their last six contests, including last Friday's 64-52 loss to Dominguez Hills in the semifinals of the CCAA Championship Tournament. That didn't stop Chico State from making its 10th NCAA Championship Tournament appearance in the last 12 years.

Away from home: The Wildcats were 9-6 on the road this season, and lost three of the last five games played away from Acker Gym. Chico State's lone regular season game at Kellogg Gym was an 85-73 win Jan. 23 against Cal Poly Pomona.

Team stats: Chico State averages 68.1 points a game on offense while giving up 63.3 points per contest. Though the Wildcats are just 3-3 in their last six games, they've actually been stingier on defense, allowing 60.7 points per contest since Feb. 15. The 'Cats' offense, though, has generated just 57.2 points a game over that same stretch.

Wildcats to watch:
     - Senior guard Courtney Hamilton is the CCAA's assist leader (6.3 a game – third highest in the nation) while averaging 7.7 points a contest. The First Team All-CCAA selection also leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) and ranked in the conference top 10 in steals (second, 2.2 a game) and blocked shots (1.0 per contest).
     - Senior  guard Jazmine Miller is the team's leading scorer, averaging 13.1 points a game and is the 'Cats' top 3-point shooter with 48 treys on the season. The All-CCAA First Teamer is averaging 13.3 points a game since Jan. 23, but over her last 13 games is shooting just 34.1 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from 3-point range.
     - Junior guard Hannah Womack (10.3 ppg, 44 3-pointers) is also in the midst of a shooting funk, averaging just five points over her last six games while connecting on only 19.4 percent of her field goal attempts.
     - Junior guard Annie Ward (9.2 ppg, 43 3-pointers), on the other hand, is playing her best basketball of the season, averaging 10.8 points over the Wildcats' last eight games and knocking in better than two 3-pointers a night since Jan. 23
     - Senior forwards McKenzie Dalthorp and Analise Riezebos are averaging a combined 19.3 points and 12.6 points a game.

Cal State Dominguez Hills: The Toros are 20-9 overall and head into the NCAA West Regionals with a four-game winning streak and the CCAA Championship Tournament crown. After suffering through a four-game losing streak in late February, Dominguez Hills regrouped to win its final regular season contest followed by three straight conference tourney victories, including a 65-61 triumph over regular season champ Cal Poly Pomona. The Toros are coached by Molly Goodenbour, who ran the Chico State women's basketball program from 2006-08.

Away from home: Dominguez Hills is 12-6 this season away from its home floor, The Torodome. The Toros' lone game in Pomona was a 73-54 loss Feb. 20 to the NCAA West Regional's host school, Cal Poly Pomona.

Team stats: Dominguez Hills ranked sixth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 67.2 points a game, but was second among the 12 conference teams in defense, allowing just 61.4 points per contest. The Toros love the 3-pointer, leading all CCAA teams with 177 treys while taking a conference-high 554 shots from behind the arc. Dominguez Hills was also the CCAA's top rebounding team, averaging 42.1 boards a game.

Toros to watch: Dominguez Hills is led by sophomore guard Monay Lee (14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds per game). A First Team All-CCAA selection, Lee is complemented by another all-conference pick, junior forward Tayler Champion (13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds a game), the CCAA's top 3-point shooter with 62 treys on the season. Junior guard Talia Rayford adds 11.2 points and 7.9 rebounds a night to the Toros' attack.

Head to head: Despite bowing to Dominguez Hills in the CCAA Championship Tournament, the Wildcats beat the Toros two out of three this season, posting an 80-78 win Jan. 10 in Chico before downing Dominguez Hills Feb. 15 54-51 at The Torodome. The 'Cats hold a 36-12 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.

Coverage: Mike Wessels will be calling the play-by-play via Internet broadcast available through www.ChicoWildcats.com. Live stats and streaming video will also be available through the Wildcat Athletics website. Fans are also invited to visit the NCAA West Regional home page for information on all regional games and times.

Mike Baca, the voice of the Wildcats, has broken down the tournament and each NCAA West Regional team. CLICK HERE to read his courtside comments.

Up next: The winner of Friday's Wildcats-Toros contest will advance to Saturday's NCAA West Regional semifinal game against the winner of top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona and No. 8 Alaska Anchorage. Saturday's game is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m.