As long as the Chico State women's basketball team is racking up the miles on what is the lengthiest road trip of the season, the Wildcats are hoping they'll be rewarded for all the travel by racking up a couple of much-needed wins. This week the "one-end-of-the state-to-the other" stretch finds the 'Cats in Arcata Thursday to battle Humboldt State, followed by a Southern California showdown Saturday against Cal Poly Pomona. Tipoff for both contests are slated for 5:30 p.m.
As always, fans unable to attend the games can follow the action on the Internet. Mike Baca provides the play-by-play locally on Newstalk 1290-AM KPAY with the broadcast simulcast on the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats and live streaming video is also available online.
Chico State – 5-6 overall, 1-5 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) – looks to turn its fortunes around after having lost six of the last seven contests. The Wildcats snapped their five-game losing streak on New Year's Eve with an 83-74 win over Cal State L.A. before dropping an 83-74 decision Saturday to CCAA co-leader Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The 'Cats, 2-5 on the road this season, rank eighth among the 13 CCAA teams in offense, averaging 63.2 points a game. Defensively, Chico State is fifth in the conference, allowing opponents an average of 61.8 points per contest.
Individually, Whitney Branham is the Wildcats' top scorer, averaging 11.5 points a game while also pacing the team with 18 3-pointers. Brooke Bowen is averaging just under 10 points a game and has connected 16 times from long distance, while Natalie Valenzuela is contributing 8.3 points a game and ranks third in the CCAA with 16 blocked shots. McKena Barker is Chico State's top rebounder (6.0 boards a game), and Sherise Porchia is fourth among conference players in assists, averaging 4.2 dishes a night.
Humboldt State, the Wildcats' Thursday night opponent, is 6-7 on the season and is tied for fifth place in the CCAA with a 3-3 conference mark. The Lumberjacks saw their three-game winning streak come to an end last weekend with back-to-back road losses to UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino.
Humboldt State is 4-2 this season on its home floor, Lumberjack Arena.
Humboldt State sits in the middle of the CCAA pack offensively, averaging 65.3 points a game. The Lumberjacks' defense has struggled much of the season, allowing opponents to score a generous 68.2 points per contest.
Humboldt is led by forward Amanda Kunst. The senior is seventh in the CCAA in scoring (13.9 points a game) and fifth in rebounds (7.7 boards a night). Sophomore guard Kiana Brown has drained 31 treys – hitting nearly 44 percent of her 3-point attempts – and is averaging 13.2 points per contest. Senior forward A'Jaee Foster, a First Team All-CCAA selection last season, is averaging a solid 8.1 points and 6.9 rebounds a game.
The Lumberjacks swept last season's two-game series and has won the last three meetings with the Wildcats, but Chico State leads the all-time series between the two teams 67-23.
Cal Poly Pomona, which hosts the Wildcats Saturday following a Thursday matchup with Stanislaus State, is 4-9 overall and tied for ninth place in the CCAA with a 2-4 conference record. The Broncos are also in desperate need of wins, having dropped their last four games and five of the last six. Pomona began 2016 with road losses to Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego.
The Broncos have scuffled at home this season, losing five of six at Kellogg Arena heading into the weekend.
Pomona is ninth in the CCAA offensively, averaging 62.4 points a game. On defense, the Broncos rank 10th among conference teams, surrendering 65.2 points a contest.
Freshman guard Jordyn Shane is the Broncos' top scorer, averaging 13.0 points a game. Junior guard Marshanique Hall averages 9.3 points per contest and leads Pomona with 15 3-pointers. Sophomore forward Priscilla Brooks is a force under the bucket, averaging 7.5 points and 8.3 rebounds a night.
The Broncos won both meetings with the Wildcats last season and lead the all-time series with Chico State 24-23.
