CHICO – Emotions were running high in Acker Gym Saturday as Sarah Rebibo, Michelle Walker, Annie Ward and Hannah Womack were honored for their Wildcat accomplishments in pregame Senior Night ceremonies. There were certainly smiles and hugs all around, but the reality of a frustrating women's basketball season reared its ugly head before the evening was over. The visiting Cal State East Bay Pioneers put a damper on the festivities, outscoring the 'Cats 21-2 over an 11-minute stretch to cruise to a 58-45 victory in Chico State's final game of the 2014-15 season.

 

The Wildcats finish the season 10-16 over and 7-15 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State East Bay, which will be one of the six conference teams playing next week in Stockton at the CCAA Championship Tournament, wrapped up the regular season 17-10 and 13-9 in CCAA play.
 
After hitting five of their first 10 shots – including three 3-pointers – the Wildcats were just 10-of-41 the rest of the night, and scored only 18 points in the second half. No Chico State player scored in double figures, but Womack led the way with nine points while dishing out six assists. Ward finished with eight points, while Haley Cremen came off the bench to score eight points in 19 minutes of action.
 
Womack wrapped up her Wildcat career with 143 career 3-pointers, placing her seventh on the program's all-time treys list. Ward finished with 131 3-pointers in her four years as a 'Cat.
 
The Wildcats were the aggressors early in the contest, and broke open a 5-5 tie with an impressive 20-7 run to take a 25-12 first half lead – Womack and Whitney Branham each draining a pair of 3-point attempts to highlight the offense. But over the course of the period's final five minutes, the 'Cats could only get one shot to fall, while East Bay tallied 13 to pull to within 27-25 at intermission.
 
Chico State went scoreless for the first six minutes of the second half, and the Pioneers took advantage by stringing together eight unanswered points to go up 33-27. A Ward 3-pointer and a Cremen jumper got the Wildcats to within a point at 33-32, but that would be as close as they would get, as the 'Cats missed 10 of their final 14 field goal attempts. East Bay outscored Chico State 21-11 over the final 11 minutes to cruise to the 58-45 victory and a sweep of the season series.