LA JOLLA – The Chico State men's basketball team is in first place, and a couple of sophomores were key in getting the Wildcats to the top. Isaiah Ellis scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the second half and Corey Silverstrom scored 15, including five in a row in the definitive sequence, as Chico State beat UC San Diego 77-71 in a top-10 showdown for the top spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
The 9
th-ranked Wildcats improved to 19-3 overall and 13-2 in the CCAA with their seventh straight win. No. 6 UC San Diego dipped to 18-4 overall and 13-3 in conference play.
Corey Silverstrom scored 12 of his 15 points in
the second half and added five rebounds, 2
assists, 2 blocks and a steal.With five games to play in the regular season, the Wildcats are in the drivers' seat in the quest for their second straight CCAA title and third in the last five years.
The fight for first featured 15 lead changes and 12 ties before Ellis and Silverstrom stole the show, combining to score 21 straight points for the Wildcats during a six-minute stretch (Ellis 14 and Silverstrom 7).
The last tie came at 60-apiece with 4:14 to play before Ellis hit two free throws and then grabbed a steal and went to the other end for an acrobatic layup. He was fouled and converted the three-point play, capping a stretch in which he scored nine in a row for the Wildcats.
Silverstrom hit a straight-on 3 with 2:42 left, grabbed a steal on the defensive end, and went coast-to-coast for a layup that gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the night at 70-62. He scored 12 in the second half.
Jalen McFerren made five of six free throws down the stretch, his last two extending the Wildcats' lead to 75-69 with 31 seconds left.
Chris Magalotti matched his season high with nine points and pulled down five boards. Tanner Giddings led all players with nine rebounds. Robert Duncan finished with seven points and six rebounds.
Duncan was also a key cog in Chico State's defensive success against UC San Diego leading scorer Drew Dyer, who had made 65 threes at a 51-percent clip coming in. The Wildcats held Dyer to 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 0-of-2 from beyond the arc.
The Tritons made just 5-of-17 from beyond the arc as a team.
Chico State has five games remaining in the regular season starting Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.
