CHICO – The weekend forecast is expected to bring a large amount of wet weather to the North State. Inside Acker Gym, the odds are very good it will also be raining…buckets. The Chico State women's basketball team wraps up its four-game homestand by taking on two of the top scoring teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), with UC San Diego coming to town Friday, followed on Saturday by Cal Poly Pomona. Tipoff for both games is slated for 5:30 p.m.
The two contests could very well be high-scoring affairs. Despite the fact that Cal Poly Pomona (75.7 points a game) and UC San Diego (70.3) are ranked second and third in scoring among the 12 CCAA teams, they rank just fifth and sixth in the conference in team defense, with the Broncos surrendering an average of 65.3 points a game and the Tritons giving up 65.4 points a contest.
For its part, Chico State is sixth in the CCAA in offense, averaging 66.1 points a game. Defensively, the Wildcats rank ninth in the conference, surrendering 66.8 points a night.
The Wildcats (7-11, 4-10 CCAA) are looking for payback against both opponents, having lost to the Tritons and Broncos earlier in the season. Cal Poly Pomona, down by seven with 1:51 to go, outscored Chico State 12-0 down the stretch to pull out an 81-76 victory on Jan. 2. The 'Cats were walloped by the Tritons the following night 86-57 in La Jolla.
Chico State enters the weekend having lost three of its last four contests and is tied for eighth place in the CCAA standings. The Wildcats were swept at home last weekend by Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills – the second time this season the 'Cats have lost both ends of a home weekend set. Overall, Chico State is 3-5 this season at Acker Gym.
Hannah Womack continues to spearhead the Wildcats' offense. The senior guard is fourth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 14.7 points a game, while also ranking in the conference top 10 in 3-pointers (fourth, 35) and free throw percentage (eighth, 84.1 percent). Brooke Bowen is averaging 9.6 points a contest and is Chico State's top rebounder with 5.7 boards per night.
Whitney Branham is also averaging 9.6 points a game, and her 86.7 free throw percentage is fifth-best in the CCAA. Annie Ward is averaging 8.1 points per game and sits just outside the conference top 10 in 3-pointers with 27.
UC San Diego, the Wildcats' Friday night opponent, is 11-8 on the season and in fifth place in the CCAA with a 9-5 conference record. After dropping three of four in mid-January, the Tritons closed out the month on the winning track with home victories last weekend versus Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay. UC San Diego has not played particularly well on the road this season, having lost five of eight away from RIMAC Arena.
The Tritons are led by junior forward Farrah Shokoor, who is eighth in the CCAA in scoring (13.5 points a game) and leads the conference in rebounding (11.6 boards a contest). Shokoor torched the Wildcats for 24 points in the first matchup of the season between the two teams.
UC San Diego has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with the Wildcats and leads the all-time series 22-12.
Cal Poly Pomona, which comes to Chico following its Friday night contest in Turlock versus Cal State Stanislaus, is 13-5 overall and in third place in the CCAA with an 11-3 conference mark, a game behind second place Cal State Dominguez Hills and two games back of leader Humboldt State. The Broncos have won eight of the last 10, but saw its four-game winning streak snapped last Saturday in a 65-56 home loss to Cal State East Bay. Pomona is 4-3 on the road this season.
Senior center Jada Blackwell, last season's CCAA and West Region Player of the Year, is having another monster campaign, leading the conference in scoring (19.1 points per game) while connecting for 22 3-pointers and pulling down 7.3 rebounds a contest. Senior guard Ariel Marsh is third among CCAA players in scoring (17.7 points a game) and 3-pointers (47).
Pomona has won the last two matchups with the Wildcats, leaving the all-time series between the two teams tied at 23 wins apiece.
Fans unable to attend this weekend's games can follow the action locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM, with Mike Baca and Mike Wessels handling the play-by-play. The broadcast will be simulcast on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website, with Live Stats and live streaming video also available online.
