POMONA – They may not have come away with a win, but the Chico State women's basketball team proved one thing during their Saturday showdown with Cal Poly Pomona—the Wildcats are battlers. Going up against a tall, physical Broncos squad, the 'Cats relied on the long ball—hitting 11 3-pointers—to lead much of the way, but Pomona scrambled back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to send the contest into overtime, then outlasted Chico State in the extra period to triumph 72-69, snapping the Wildcats' three-game winning streak.
Saturday's loss drops Chico State to 11-6 on the season and into seventh place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 6-5 conference record. Cal Poly Pomona moved to 9-8 on the season and into fourth place in the CCAA with a 7-4 conference mark.
Whitney Branham had a career night for the Wildcats, posting personal highs with 27 points and seven 3-pointers. Kayla Taylor contributed nine points and six rebounds, with McKena Barker and Sherise Porchia chipping in with seven points apiece. The Wildcats shot over 52 percent from the field, but it wasn't enough to keep Chico State from dropping the team's fifth road game in eight tries this season.
Branham accounted for the bulk of the Wildcats' scoring early in the contest, knocking down four 3-pointers in the first two quarters. In the opening period, Branham nailed a pair of treys and a jumper, and a Taylor basket gave Chico State a quick 10-5 lead. Pomona responded with a 7-0 run to briefly go out in front, but a Porchia 3-pointer gave the 'Cats a 13-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
Branham delivered two more 3-pointers to push Chico State's advantage to 19-14, and though the Broncos were able to whittle the deficit down to a single point, the Wildcats never relinquished the lead, making a couple of big defensive stops late in the quarter to go into halftime up 26-25.
The play got physical in the third quarter as the lead changed hands several times. After Pomona scored the first bucket of the period to go up by one, a Taylor jumper and a 3-pointer by Tyler Prange highlighted a 7-2 Chico State run to put the 'Cats on top 33-29. The Broncos reeled off seven unanswered points to jump back in front, but layups by Branham, Porchia and Barker helped Chico State regain the lead 39-36. Back-to-back 3-pointers quickly put Pomona back on top, but the Wildcats answered with treys by Branham and Madison Wong to finish the quarter with a 47-46 lead.
The 'Cats scored the first seven points of the final period—Branham drained another 3-pointer and hit a pair of free throws, with Porchia delivering a layup—and suddenly Chico State owned a 54-46 lead. Pomona came charging back, and an 11-2 run put the Broncos on top 59-58 with just over two minutes to play. It stayed that way until Wong buried Chico State's 10th 3-pointer of the night, giving the Wildcats a 61-59 lead with 53 seconds remaining. Pomona tied the game with 39 seconds left, and after both teams failed to convert on their final possession in regulation, the game headed to overtime knotted up at 61-all.
Branham's career-high seventh 3-pointer opened the extra period, but Pomona responded by scoring eight of the next nine points—all by Priscilla Brooks—to take a 70-65 lead. Once again, Chico State battled back—Taylor and Barker each hit a pair of clutch free throws, bringing Chico State to within one with less than a minute to play. The 'Cats were forced to foul, and the Broncos' Erin Hagan hit two free throws to make it a three-point game with 12 seconds remaining. The Wildcats had a chance to tie the game with a 3-ball, but couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer sounded, giving Pomona the hard-fought 72-69 victory.
Chico State returns home next weekend for a pair of big CCAA matchups. The Wildcats will host Cal State San Bernardino Friday, with conference leader UC San Diego visiting Acker Gym on Saturday. Both games with tip off at 5:30 p.m.
