ROHNERT PARK – The Wolves' Den has traditionally served as a house of horrors for the Chico State men's basketball team. But the Wildcats are starting to turn it into their own personal dance floor.
Chico State beat the Seawolves 80-43 Friday night in Rohnert Park. It was the Wildcats' third straight win there and fourth in five games since the start of the 2010-11 season. Prior to that they had dropped 15 straight in Rohnert Park.
This was the biggest win of them all. Before Friday night, the Wildcats' largest margin of victory against the rival Seawolves was 110-75 on Jan. 18, 1991.
Drew Kitchens dished out a career-high
four assists to go along with eight points.It also moved the Wildcats one big step closer to clinching at least a share of the California Collegiate Athletic Association title. At 18-6 overall and 15-4 in the CCAA, the Wildcats need three wins in their final three regular-season games to guarantee their second conference crown in four seasons.
The next test comes Saturday night when the Wildcats face San Francisco State in their regular-season road finale. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.
Robert Duncan scored 18 points in 20 minutes to lead Chico State in scoring Friday night. Tanner Giddings contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Mike Rosaroso and Drew Kitchens scored eight points apiece while combining for nine assists. And Jordan Semple secured a team-high nine rebounds in just 18 minutes on the floor.
Kitchens opened the game with a 3-pointer and Duncan scored inside to make it 5-0. The Wildcats were off to the races.
The lead was 25-14 with eight minutes left in the first half, 34-20 at intermission, and 46-20 with 15 minutes to play. The Wildcats' lead grew as large as 40.
Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona now boast a three-game lead over the three teams tied for third place with three to play.
