Though it had been 11 days since it last took the floor, the Chico State women's basketball team showed no signs of rust Thursday as they returned to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action against Cal State Monterey Bay. Shooting just under 50 percent from the field and holding the Otter to just 22 percent shooting, the Wildcats scored the game's first 14 points and never looked back, doubling up the Otters 76-38 at Acker Gym.
The 38 points represented the most lopsided margin of victory by a Chico State women's basketball team since January 30, 2010, when the Wildcats scored an 85-34 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills. Thursday was also the 'Cats' biggest win over Monterey Bay since December, 2005.
The victory—Chico State's second straight—moved the Wildcats to 7-4 on the season and into a tie for eighth place in the CCAA standings with a 2-3 conference record. Cal State Monterey Bay dropped its seventh straight decision to fall to 3-9 overall and 0-5 in CCAA play.
Whitney Branham scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the first half to lead the Wildcats' attack. Jo Paine collected 18 points while Kayla Taylor contributed 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. Tyler Prange and Madison Wong each doled out five assists on the night.
Cal State Monterey Bay was held scoreless for nearly six minutes of the opening quarter, missing its first 11 straight shots. The Wildcats, meanwhile, used a 3-pointer by Branham and buckets by Paine and Natalie Valenzuela to build an early 14-0 lead. The Otters mounted an 8-2 run later in the period, and the 'Cats had to be content with a 17-9 lead heading into the second quarter.
Chico State wasted little time pushing its advantage back to double digits, scoring 10 unanswered points to open the period—Branham delivered a layup and drained another 3-pointer, Paine came through with a traditional three-point play and Valenzuela hit a jumper to put the Wildcats up 27-8. The Otters were able to whittle the deficit down to 11, but the 'Cats closed out the quarter on a 7-1 run to go into intermission with a 34-17 lead.
Monterey Bay's Victoria Dorn knocked in a pair of 3-pointers early in the third quarter to bring the Otters back to within 36-23. The Wildcats once again answered, going on a 17-3 run—Sherise Porchia drained a 3-pointer and Paine, Branham and Taylor all chipped in with baskets to make it a 53-26 contest. Another Dorn 3-pointer trimmed the 'Cats' advantage to 53-29 heading into the final 10-minute stanza.
It was all Chico State in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats hit 10 of 16 shots to officially put the game out of reach. Paine delivered another 3-point play and baskets by Taylor, Branham, Michelle Townsend and Sammy DeHart highlighted a 23-6 'Cats' run to balloon the lead to 40 points. Monterey Bay scored the lone bucket in the final 1:30 of the contest, and Chico State cruised to the 76-38 victory.
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday, taking on San Francisco State (2-8, 0-3 CCAA) in a special New Years Eve matinee beginning at 1:30 p.m. It's also Hungry Wildcat Pantry Day—fans coming to the game are encouraged to bring canned food, pasta, rice and/or peanut butter items to donate to help students facing food insecurity.
