Box Score POMONA – For the first 20 minutes Saturday, it looked as if the Chico State women's basketball team was going to repeat its Friday offensive explosion, scoring 44 first half points against Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional. The Wildcats, though, could not generate enough offense in the second half to offset West Region Player of the Year Jada Blackwell, who scored 35 points to lead the Broncos to an 89-80 victory at Kellogg Gym in Pomona, eliminating Chico State from postseason play.
With Saturday's loss, Chico State saw its season come to a close with an overall record of 19-10. Cal Poly Pomona, the top seed in the West, improved to 24-6 overall with its first win over the Wildcats in three tries this season. The Broncos will now meet No. 2 Montana State-Billings in the NCAA West Region final Monday night at Kellogg Gym.
Courtney Hamilton finished her spectacular Chico State career with one of her best games ever, scoring a personal-high 19 points, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out seven assists and nabbing four steals. Annie Ward knocked down four 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, while Jazmine Miller tallied 13 in her final game as a Wildcat. Analise Riezebos and McKenzie Dalthorp, playing in what proved to be their last game in a Chico State uniform, combined to score 17 points and pull down 16 rebounds.
Cal Poly Pomona possessed the hot hand early in the contest, racing out to a 17-9 lead. Chico State caught the Broncos at 20-apiece with an 11-3 run, highlighted by a Hannah Womack 3-pointer and a pair of Michelle Walker layups. Pomona jumped back on top and led 29-22, but the Wildcats got things going again – a Ward 3-pointer, layups by Ward and Analise Riezebos and four Hamilton free throws spearheaded a 13-5 run to put Chico State up 35-34. The Broncos regained the lead 37-36 with 1:57 remaining, but it was all Wildcats the rest of the half – 3-pointers by Ward and Jazmine Miller spearheaded an 8-0 blitz that gave Chico State a 44-37 lead at intermission.
Pomona scored six of the first seven points in the second half to pull within two, but buckets by Hamilton, Riezebos and Dalthorp pushed the Wildcat advantage to 51-43. The Chico State offense then cold for nearly eight minutes, scoring just one field goal during that stretch, and the Broncos used a 20-6 run to grab a 63-57 lead. The 'Cats finally found the bottom of the bucket, as a Ward 3-pointer and a Miller layup brought Chico State to within 63-62 with 8:06 to play.
The mini-rally would turn out to be the Wildcats' last hurrah. With Blackwell leading the way, the Broncos outscored the Wildcats 15-5 over the next three minutes, opening up a 78-67 lead, and Chico State could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way. The 'Cats were forced to foul in the final minutes, and Pomona converted five free throws down the stretch to hold off any last Chico State charge. Despite a late 3-pointer by Womack, the Broncos came away with the 89-80 to advance to the NCAA West Regional final and end the Wildcats' 2013-14 season.
