Let's take this thing inside.
 
That's not the normal place to pick a fight, but it is exactly what the Chico State men's basketball team did in an 87–70 win against Cal State San Bernardino in Acker Gym Friday night. The Wildcats outscored Cal State San Bernardino 48–22 in the paint and outrebounded the Coyotes 40–18.
 
Point guard Jalen McFerren glided into the lane for numerous scores on his way to a career-high 24 points. He also led the team with nine rebounds. And freshman center Justin Briggs did it the old-fashioned way, posting up and scoring in the low box, or taking a pass and ripping it home, en route to his career-best 19 points.

 

Corey Silverstrom slashed his way into the paint for 14 points as well, as the Wildcats hit 25-of-39 shots in the lane and drew 21 fouls. They made 19-of-21 free throws, led by McFerren (7-of-7), Briggs (5-of-6), and Isaiah Ellis (4-of-5). Ellis finished with nine points, five rebounds, and career highs of five assists and three steals.
 
Chico State improved to 17-3 overall–including 11-0 at home–and 10-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with its 11^th win in its last 12 games.
 
The Wildcats host UC San Diego (also 10-2 in the CCAA) Saturday night in a battle for sole occupancy atop the conference standings.
 
The Wildcats have now beaten Cal State San Bernardino–a team that beat them 24 of the first 30 times they met–seven straight times and 13 times in their last 14 meetings. The Coyotes fell to 8-8 overall and 4-7 in the CCAA.
 
There were times in the game where it felt like the Wildcats were ready to pull away for an easy win. But each time the Coyotes responded.
 
Chico State scored the game's first six points and led 12–7 before Cal State San Bernardino answered with an 8–2 push to take a short-lived lead. But they had no answer for Briggs, who scored 14 points in the first half, and Chico State took a 38–31 lead into the break.
 

Nate Ambrosini fed Keith Datu for a pair of inside scores during a 7–2 Chico State run that grew the lead to 14 with just under 14 minutes to play. But Cal State San Bernardino countered by scoring the game's next six points.
 
The Coyotes got as close as four. But over the next two-and-a-half minutes, McFerren hit a 3-pointer and drew a foul and hit both free throws, Silverstrom scored on a drive, and Michael Bethea, Jr. found Ellis inside for an and-one. The lead was back up to nine.
 
Moments later, following a Bethea 3-pointer and an emphatic Briggs block, Bethea led the break and dropped a dime to Briggs for a deuce that put the Wildcats ahead 75–63 with 5:35 to play. Their cushion was nine or better from that point on.
 
The Wildcats shot 57 percent, including 63 percent in the second half. They are now 14-0 this season when shooting 45 percent or better, and 81-7 since the start of the 2011-12 campaign.  
 
Saturday night's game will feature two halftime celebrations. Chico State's men's and women's cross country teams, which won CCAA and West Region titles before bringing home the hardware with fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships in November, will be honored.
 
We will also recognize 70 years of Chico State athletics on local radio, including the 20 years of work put in by current play-by-play personalities Mike Baca and Mike Wessels. As has been the case for a long time, 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.