The Chico State women's basketball team opened the 2015-16 season Friday the way it has done every year since 1999 – posting a win to kick-start the campaign. With the Wildcats downing Notre Dame de Namur 56-45 in the late game of first day action at the CCAA/Pac West Challenge-Carl's Jr. Coslet Classic, they racked up the program's 17th consecutive season-opening victory while providing a large Acker Gym crowd with plenty of hardwood highlights.
 
Whitney Branham, last season's conference Freshman of the Year, got her sophomore season off to a great start, shooting 6-for-9 from the field – including three 3-pointers – to tie her career high with 19 points. Michelle Townsend scored eight points in her first game as a Wildcat, while McKena Barker made good in her Chico State debut with seven points and a team-high five rebounds. Sherise Porchia contributed five assists and three steals to the 'Cats' victory.
 
Chico State controlled Friday's contest thanks to a swarming defense that forced Notre Dame de Namur into committing 25 turnovers. The Wildcats held the Argonauts to just 35.6 percent shooting, and grabbed 14 steals on the night.
 
The 'Cats led from wire to wire, scoring the game's first four points and building a 16-6 lead by the end of the first quarter. Notre Dame de Namur trimmed the deficit to six early in the second period, but a layup by Porchia and free throws by Townsend, Haley Cremen and Lauren Johnson pushed the Wildcats' advantage up to 13 at 23-10. The Argonauts outscored the 'Cats 9-3 in the final five-and-a-half-minutes of the quarter, and Chico State had to be content with a 26-19 halftime lead.
 
Branham came out firing in the third quarter, knocking down a pair of treys to put the Wildcats up 32-21. The Chico State defense, meanwhile, held Notre Dame de Namur to just two field goals in the period, and a pair of Barker layups to end the quarter gave Chico State a 39-25 lead.
 
Branham's third 3-pointer of the night led off an 11-3 Wildcat run early in the fourth period as Chico State took its biggest lead of the night at 50-31 with 5:43 to play. The 'Cats never relinquished their double-digit lead, with a Tyler Prange layup putting the finishing touches on Chico State's 56-45 victory.
 
The Wildcats close out the Coslet Classic Saturday, taking on Holy Names at 7:30 p.m. The Hawks were victorious in the tournament opener Friday, outscoring Sonoma State 16-7 over the final five minutes and getting a game-winning layup by Tatiana Howard with two seconds remaining to upend the Seawolves 52-50.