Revenge was a dish best served cold-blooded by the Chico State men's basketball team Friday night, and Robert Duncan had ice water in his veins. Duncan delivered five points and dropped two dimes as the Wildcats scored on four straight possessions after seeing the Tritons roar back from a big deficit. He finished with a game-high 19 points, five rebounds and five assists to lift the Wildcats to a 72-64 win, allowing them to keep a share of first place atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings.
 
Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona will clash for sole possession of first Saturday night at Acker Gym. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.
 
Tanner Giddings matched his career-high with 16 points. Mike Rosaroso recorded 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. And Jordan Semple chipped in 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots as the Wildcats won their ninth in a row, avenging their worst CCAA loss in two seasons – a 69-53 defeat at the hands of the Tritons on Jan. 3 in La Jolla.
 

UC San Diego and Cal State Stanislaus (blown out at home by Cal Poly Pomona 77-48 Friday night) fell two games behind the leaders in the race for the conference crown.
 
Chico State is now 15-5 overall and 12-3 in the CCAA. UC San Diego is 12-7 overall and 10-5 in conference play.
 
The Wildcats took control of the game early. Giddings made his first five shots as they built a 25-17 lead that grew to 37-24 by halftime. The lead was 54-40 with 10 minutes to go.
 
The Tritons stormed back over the next six minutes.
 
A 15-0 run, capped by Hunter Walker's third 3-pointer in four minutes, gave them their first lead since the opening moments of the game, 55-54. The Wildcats didn't help matters, committing four turnovers in six possessions during the stretch.
 
Duncan hit two free throws to slow the charge before Drew Dyer delivered the Tritons' fourth straight made 3-pointer to make it a two-point Tritons' lead.  
 
Duncan answered again with a game-tying bucket before Walker made with a jumper to give him 11 points during a five-minute stretch and UC San Diego a 60-58 lead with 4:05 to play.
 
Duncan dominated the next two and a half minutes, and this time the Tritons had no answer.
 
First he attacked from the right wing and rose for a reverse layup over the 6-foot-6 Dyer to tie the game at 60. Then he delivered a bullet pass to Giddings rolling to the rim for an easy lay-in and 62-60 lead. He followed that up with a bounce pass to Semple along the baseline for an easy bucket. Semple blocked Dyer on the other end to set up Duncan's piece de resistance. Taking the ball at the top of the arc, he dribbled left before a killer crossover caused two Tritons to topple to the ground. He attacked the paint with a right-handed dribble, drew contact, and then flipped a shot up and in with his left hand, sending his teammates into a tizzy.
 
Duncan knocked down the free throw to give the Wildcats a 67-60 lead with 1:28 to play.
 
Rosaroso's jumper in the lane to beat the shot clock with 39 seconds left and his two free throws 20 seconds later sealed the win.  
 
GAME NOTES – The Wildcats' 12-3 conference start is its best since they finished their 1992-93 NCAC Championship run at 12-2…Their 15-5 start overall matches their best since that same season…This marks the 10^th time overall in 100 seasons they've started 15-5 or better…The Wildcats were dominant inside where they outscored the Tritons 36-22 and earned a 31-18 edge on the glass…Semple secured the final rebound of the night to ensure his third double-double in the past four games, fifth of the season, and 20^th of his career. He's now tied with Rich Hogan (1987-89) for second in Chico State history, just one behind all-time leader Aaron Martella (1990-94)…The Wildcats' eight-game win streak is the second longest in the Greg Clink era and longest since a nine-game run late in the 2012-13 campaign.