CHICO – Playing catch-up is certainly the hard way to rack up victories. And when you're spending most of the night trying to overtake a team as talented as Cal State Dominguez Hills, the chances of success are exceedingly slim. The Chico State women's basketball team flirted with beating the odds Saturday, pulling to within three in the final two minutes after trailing by as many as 16 in the second half before the Toros pulled away for a 66-61 win at Acker Gym.

 

Chico State's loss – its third in the last four games – dropped the Wildcats to 7-11 on the season and 4-10 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Dominguez Hills, led by former Wildcat head coach Molly Goodenbour, won its fourth in a row to improve to 17-5 overall and 12-2 in CCAA play.
 
Hannah Womack was the lone Wildcats player scoring in double figures Saturday, finishing with 18 points on the night, while Whitney Branham and Brooke Bowen contributed nine points apiece. Chanelle Di Croce came off the bench to chip in with five points and a team-high six rebounds in the losing effort.
 
The lead see-sawed early in the first half, with the two teams splitting the game's first 40 points. Dominguez Hills put together a 13-4 run to go in front 33-24, but Chico State pulled to within five at 35-30 thanks to buckets by Bowen, Michelle Walker and Tyler Prange. The Toros pushed the lead back to eight, and ended the half with Talia Rayford banking in a shot from midcourt at the buzzer to put Dominguez Hills up 41-30 at intermission.
 
The Toros extended their advantage to double digits early in the second half, building a 51-35 lead with 14:50 remaining. The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the deficit – while the defense held Dominguez Hills to just 11 points over the next 13 minutes, the Chico State offense finally got untracked – Branham started the comeback with a 3-pointer, and Bowen, Womack, Di Croce and Ashtyn Anderson contributed some crucial buckets to get the 'Cats close late in the contest.
 
A 3-point play by Womack with 1:38 remaining pulled the Wildcats to within 62-59, but Chico State was unable to grab a defensive rebound on the Toros' next possession, allowing precious seconds to tick off the clock. Following a missed layup with 36 seconds left, the 'Cats were forced to foul, and Dominguez Hills converted four free throws down the stretch to ice the contest and come away with the 66-61 victory, sweeping the season series with Chico State for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.
 
Chico State is home again next weekend, kicking off February action Friday against UC San Diego and Saturday versus Cal Poly Pomona. Tipoff for both games is slated for 5:30 p.m.