Box Score ONTARIO – Rashad Parker played the role of butterfly to Jordan Barton's bee as the Chico State men's basketball knocked San Francisco State out of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament with a 78-66 win at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario Thursday
afternoon.
Chico State Head Coach Greg Clink implored his charges
to be more aggressive in the second half after they scored a season-low 25 in the first. They responded with a second-half season high 53 points. Parker scored 20 of his 26 after intermission with a vast array of floaters, finger rolls and by knocking down 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 6-of-6 from the line. Barton exerted his will in the paint after the break with seven points and four rebounds.
"The effort was there in the first half but the aggressiveness wasn't," said Clink. "In the second half we were more aggressive on both ends of the floor."
Chico State improved to 21-6 while adding another nice win to its NCAA Championship Tournament resume. San Francisco State likely saw its season come to an end at 14-12, including three losses to the Wildcats.
The third-seeded Wildcats advance to Friday's second round where they'll meet No. 2 seed Cal Poly Pomona at 2:35 p.m. The winner advances to the CCAA Championship Tournament title game, something the Wildcats are attempting to do for the third season in a row.
The Broncos have beaten Chico State six times in a row including twice in the 2013 postseason. They came from 18 points down at the half to win the regular season finale in Chico.
"Our mindset will be the same as it would if we were playing Humboldt State, (Cal State) Monterey Bay, UCLA, whoever," said Clink. "We are going to defend and rebound. If we can execute we'll be in great position to win."
The Wildcats didn't execute much in the first half. Chico State went to the locker room trailing 27-25 thanks to that lack of offensive execution and a 22-12 deficit on the boards.
They showed signs of life with eight points in their first three possessions of the second half – two Giordano Estrada threes and a Sean Park layup – but couldn't sustain it. San Francisco State grabbed its largest lead, 47-40, with 10:53 remaining.
The next 10 minutes belonged to Parker and the Wildcats.
The senior from Castro Valley hit a 3-pointer and floater in the lane to start a 13-2 push that blossomed into a 32-13 game-winning run. Barton's offensive rebound and put-back gave Chico State its first lead since the early going at 51-49 with 7:49 remaining. The Wildcats led the rest of the way.
It was still a three-point game with five minutes left before Parker nailed a 3-pointer, assisted on Giordano Estrada's triple, hit another three and then drove and dished to Jordan Semple for a layup. Just like that it was 72-60 with 1:26 left.
"I always try to be aggressive and be one of the guys that gets the team going," said Parker. "I just let it fly and shots started falling."
So did the Gators.
