POMONA – The Chico State men's basketball team ran out of gas near the end of its longest road trip of the season.
After overcoming the long drive to Arcata with a win at Humboldt State Thursday, the Wildcats drove south to Oakland Friday to fly to the Inland Empire. They put themselves further behind the eight-ball by falling 14 points behind the Broncos in Saturday's opening half.
Chico State, which had a 10-game winning streak on the line, almost rallied, cutting the lead to one with five minutes to play. But that was as close as they would get in a 63–60 loss.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 19 in the nation entering the night, are now 16-3 overall and tied with UC San Diego atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings at 9-2.
Cal Poly Pomona, 5-10 overall and 3-8 in the CCAA, won its third straight at home.
Jalen McFerren had a career-high five steals
Saturday.
The Broncos shot 52 percent from the field and 67 percent from 3-point range (6-of-9). Both were the highest numbers the Wildcats have allowed this season.
Meanwhile, Chico State missed 16 of its 21 3-point attempts and made just 33 percent of its shots. The Wildcats were playing without Isaiah Ellis–their second-leading scorer entering the weekend–for the second straight game.
Robert Duncan still nearly carried the Wildcats to victory, scoring 22 points and grabbing six rebounds. The senior guard scored 16 points in the second half, including seven straight as Chico State cut its double-digit deficit to three with 8:30 to play.
Duncan hit a 3-pointer following Marvin Timothy's tip-in to inch the Wildcats closer, and then Jalen McFerren and Duncan hit two free throws apiece–Duncan's with 4:59 to play–to trim the lead to one.
Following a Cal Poly Pomona basket, the Wildcats twice had a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer, but Corey Silverstrom's try was missed and then Nate Ambrosini committed a turnover.
Silverstrom's miss was the first of four in a five-shot stretch in the closing minutes. Cal Poly Pomona hit 10-of-14 free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
McFerren finished with a career-high five steals in the loss. Justin Briggs had nine points nad five rebounds.
The Wildcats are back home–where they've won 10 in a row–next weekend. They host Cal State San Bernardino Friday and UC San Diego Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7:30.
Every Chico State basketball game this season will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM. Links to streaming audio, video and live stats are available in the calendar section on the ChicoWildcats.com homepage and on the men's basketball schedule page.
