It's apparent to anyone who comes to watch the Chico State women's basketball team—in recent weeks the Wildcats have done an incredible job of banding together, shrugging off a rash of potentially debilitating injuries and using pure team play to pound out victories. The 'Cats exhibited that harmonious philosophy again Saturday against Cal State Dominguez Hills, rolling out an extremely balanced attack to lead wire-to-wire and top the Toros 71-60 at Acker Gym.
Saturday's victory—Chico State's second straight and fifth in the last six games—moves the Wildcats to 10-5 overall and into sole possession of seventh place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with a 5-4 conference mark. Cal State Dominguez Hills dropped its fourth straight decision to dip to 4-11 on the season and 1-7 in CCAA play.
Chico State improved to 8-1 this season playing in the friendly confines of Acker Gym.
With 11 regular season games remaining, the Wildcats have already matched their entire win total from each of last two seasons.
The win was also the 'Cats' first victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills since March 14, 2014.
Sherise Porchia led the Chico State offense, equaling her career high with 15 points. Tyler Prange contributed 11 points and four assists, while Madison Wong chipped in with nine points for victorious 'Cats. Whitney Branham, Kayla Taylor, Sammy DeHart and McKena Barker all had eight points, with DeHart pulling down a team-high six rebounds.
Branham set the tone with a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the contest, and buckets by Barker and Michelle Townsend combined with a Porchia 3-pointer gave Chico State a quick 14-4 lead. Dominguez Hills pulled to within six, but back-to-back treys by Wong and Branham pushed the Wildcats' advantage to 22-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Chico State led by double digits through most of the second period and was up 34-19 with four minutes remaining before halftime. The Toros chipped away at the deficit, using a 10-4 run to creep to within 38-29 at intermission.
Dominguez Hills trailed by only seven early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats used a 17-4 run—highlighted by nine points from Prange and baskets by Porchia and Taylor—to go up 55-35 and take total control of the contest. A couple of baskets by the Toros late in the period gave Chico State a 59-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The 'Cats were never seriously threatened in the last 10-minute stanza, maintaining a double digit advantage throughout. Baskets by Porchia, Prange, Barker and DeHart pushed the Chico State lead to 17 with 3:53 to play, but Dominguez Hills fought back to make it a 68-58 game with 55 seconds remaining. Branham and Porchia officially iced the contest with last second free throws, and the Wildcats cruised to the 71-60 victory.
The Wildcats are on the road next week, traveling to Arcata Thursday to battle Humboldt State before heading to Southern California Saturday to take on Cal Poly Pomona. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
