The first few weeks of the Chico State men's basketball team's season were like an extended stay at Disneyland: a thrill-a-minute ride punctuated by high-flying dunks, high-scoring wins and lots of laughs.
 
The ride grinded to a halt Friday against 23^rd-ranked Seattle Pacific. For 40 minutes, the 8^th-ranked Wildcats were seemingly stuck in mid-air in a 62-50 loss on opening night of the 56^th annual Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational in Acker Gym.
 
The Wildcats, who entered the game averaging a smidge below 90 per outing, outscored their first three opponents by better than 20 points per game, shot 55 percent from the field and 48 percent from 3-point range, and enjoyed a plus-14 rebounding margin, all on the way to the highest national ranking in the history of the program.
 
Friday, they were outrebounded 47-23 and held to just 34-percent shooting, including 20 percent from 3-point range.
 
Chico State, which takes on Simpson University Saturday at 7:30, fell to 3-1 with the loss. Seattle Pacific improved to 4-1 with its fourth straight win. The Falcons face Cal State East Bay Saturday at 5:30.
 
In Friday's first game, Cal State East Bay beat Simpson 86-48.
 
Seattle Pacific 7-footer Dierickx Gilles finished with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting. The University of Washington transfer also loomed large defensively, blocking five shots and changing many more. Washington State/North Idaho JC transfer Bryce Leavitt gave the Wildcats fits as well, finishing with 16 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and five assists.
 
Corey Silverstrom came off the bench to lead Chico State with 16 points. Fellow reserve Isaiah Ellis had nine. Jalen McFerren led a starting lineup that totaled just 21 points on 9-of-36 shooting with seven points.
 
Chico State's reserves used a 9-4 run to give the Wildcats their last lead, 14-12, on a Tyler Harris layup. SPU responded with a 12-2 spurt and the Falcons took a 28-22 lead into the locker room.

Tanner Giddings got the Wildcats back to within six on a jumper just 61 seconds into the second half. But Chico State did not make another field goal until Giddings connected 10:20 later.
 
Drew Kitchens followed with a layup that trimmed the lead to nine with 7:45 to play and Nate Ambrosini answered a Falcons' score with 6:46 remaining before another shooting drought – this one lasting 4:07 – effectively ended Chico State's comeback hopes.
 
The drought finally ended when Ellis and Silverstrom scored consecutive baskets, and after a Gilles jumper, Silverstrom sank a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 51-44 with 1:26 left.
 
But Seattle Pacific was 9-for-10 from the line over the final 1:05 to put the game away.