The first rule of Fight Club is: "You do not talk about Fight Club." Fortunately, I'm just writing about it.
 
As much as a rivalry can be friendly, the Chico State-Sonoma State men's basketball one is. As much as a basketball game can be a brawl, Saturday night's was.
 
After overcoming an eight-point deficit to force overtime and a four-point deficit in the first overtime, the 25^th-ranked Wildcats finally KO'd Sonoma State 75-70 in double-overtime inside a sweltering Acker Gym.
 
Two of the 10 top-ranked defenses in the nation played like it, making every bucket feel like it was bursting with bullion at the end of a rainbow three.
 

Chico State's Corey Silverstrom, who hit four of those threes, including the go-ahead triple in double-overtime, sank two free throws with 1:13 remaining in regulation to tie the game at 52. Neither defense yielded a score again before overtime.
 
After facing their biggest deficit of the night, 50-42 with 6:03 left, the Wildcats tightened their grip on the defensive end and did not allow another made field goal in regulation while tying the game with an 8-0 run capped by Silverstrom's free throws. Tanner Giddings drew the Wildcats within two with 1:47 left on a clutch baseline jumper.
 
The Wildcats fought from behind again in overtime. The Seawolves sank consecutive threes to take a 58-54 advantage before Isaiah Ellis scored four straight to tie the game. Jalen McFerren then made consecutive buckets to give them a four-point lead.
 
Chico State's defense also muscled up, allowing the Seawolves just three more made shots over the final 8:30.  
 
McFerren went to the line with six seconds left and the Wildcats up two with a chance to ice the game, but missed his second free throw. He then fouled Sonoma State's James Davis on a half-court shot with 1.7 seconds left. Davis made a heads up play, sensing that McFerren planned to foul him to prevent the potential game-tying shot, by shooting before McFerren expected him to and drawing the foul call. 
 
Davis made all three to force another extra frame.
 
In the second overtime, the Wildcats finally put the Seawolves away. A Silverstrom 3-pointer with 3:19 left gave the Wildcats the lead for good and McFerren made four straight free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
 

Silverstrom, starting in placed of Chico State's injured leading scorer Robert Duncan, scored a game-high 21 points and added seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. McFerren had 18 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Ellis finished with 13 points. Tanner Giddings had 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals, including three takeaways in overtime. He also blocked a potential game-winning shot with three seconds left in regulation.
 
Chico State improved to 14-3 overall and moved into a tie for first atop the conference standings with UC San Diego at 8-2 with its 13^th straight conference win.
 
Sonoma State, which handed the Wildcats one of their three losses this season Dec. 19 in Rohnert Park, slipped to 9-6 overall and 4-5 in the CCAA.
 
James Davis, who scored 30 second-half points in the Seawolves' December win, was held to 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting Saturday thanks in large part to the Cobra Clutch defense of Drew Kitchens.
 
The Wildcats held Sonoma State to a season-low 34-percent shooting.
 
Chico State's offense did not have much more success, shooting 40 percent. But they began to find cracks in the Sonoma State defense as the game wore on. The Wildcats made 13-of-27 shots after halftime, including 6-of-10 in overtime.
 
Chico State is off to its best start since the 1944-45 season. The Wildcats will go for their 15^th win in 18 tries Thursday night at Cal State San Marcos. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. No Chico State team has accomplished that feat since the 1940-41 squad started 16-2. The only other season in which the Wildcats won at least 15 of their first 18 was in 1927-28.
 
That was back when Chico State had a boxing team.
 
Saturday night it almost felt like they still do.