Mike Baca and Mike Wessels of Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM were presented with commemorative plaques for their 20 years of broadcasting Chico State athletics Saturday night. But knowing them, what they'll appreciate more is the constant reminder of the joy of describing the Wildcats' incredible comeback.
 
Down by as many as 15 in the first half, the Wildcats trailed by 13 at the half before rallying for a 69–64 victory over UC San Diego in a battle for sole possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
 
The 1,729 in attendance didn't have much to cheer for in opening 20 minutes. But Corey Silverstrom scored 12 of his 14 points, Michael Bethea, Jr. nine of his 14, and Isaiah Ellis all nine of his points after the break as Acker Gym grew into a madhouse. The Tritons did not respond well to the noise, or to Chico State's ratcheted up defense, missing 20 of 25 shots and all eight of their 3-point tries in the second half.

 

Chico State improved to 18-3 overall and 11-2 in the CCAA, moving a game ahead of the Tritons atop the conference standings. The two-time defending conference champions also avenged an early season loss to the Tritons in La Jolla, while improving to 12-0 at home.

UC San Diego slipped to 15-5 overall and 9-3 in the CCAA.
 
It looked like Tritons might just have the Wildcats' number this season for much of the game. Adam Klie was a mesmerizing on his way to a game-high 24 points. But Silverstrom and company slowed his roll in the second half with solid on-ball defense and timely double teams. No one else on the UC San Diego side could get back into a good flow offensively either. The rest of the team shot 2-for-17 after the break.
 
Meanwhile, Bethea, Silverstrom, and Ellis got into a groove. They still trailed by 11 with 11-and-a-half minutes to play before outscoring the Tritons 28–12 from that point on.
 
Jalen McFerren splashed a pull-up jumper, Bethea railed a three, and Silverstrom scored on consecutive drives to cut the lead to two.
 
Justin Briggs' dunk tied the game momentarily with 7:18 remaining before UC San Diego answered with a pair of free throws. Bethea bathed another triple in twine to give Chico State the lead once again, however, and Silverstrom scored a pair of free throws with 4:41 remaining to stretch the advantage to three.
 
UC San Diego was not done, however, and Chris Hansen's basket with 2:40 to play gave the Tritons a 60–59 lead.
 
Ellis responded with an offensive put-back as he was falling to the floor on Chico State's next possession, putting the Wildcats in front for good.
 
The Wildcats made six straight free throws in the final 1:35 and Ellis converted a contested hook shot in the lane.
 
Klie had a contested look at a long 3-pointer that could have tied the game with four seconds remaining, but it missed the mark and McFerren grabbed his ninth rebound (for the second straight night) to secure the win.
 
McFerren finished with nine points, nine rebounds and four assists. Robert Duncan had 11 points and four assists. And Justin Briggs piled up 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
But Bethea was the night's biggest story, coming off the bench to ignite two essential runs. He kept the Wildcats afloat (barely) in the first half, grabbing an offensive rebound and laying it in, then swiping the ball from Anthony Ballestero and finding Duncan with a dime from half court for a quick deuce. He also hit a 3-pointer just before the end of the half.
 

The Wildcats trailed by 12 with 14 minutes remaining when Bethea entered the game in the second half. He hit a 3-pointer one possession later, grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a pull-up triple that trimmed the lead to 52–46 with 10:45 remaining, and then gave the Wildcats their first lead since the first basket of the game with a deep three with 6:46 to play.
 
The senior transfer from Grambling State finished with 14 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 25 minutes.
 
This marks the third time in the 102-season history of the Chico State men's basketball program that the Wildcats have won 18 of their first 21 games. The first time they did it was in 1940-41. That was just a few years before KHSL and KPAY radio began their 70-year streak of broadcasting Chico State basketball over the local airwaves. Rumor has it that it was current Deer Creek Broadcasting boss Dino Corbin's idea. (That's a joke, by the way. Dino's not thaaat old.) The Wildcats also started 18-3 last season.
 
Chico State, currently ranked No. 23 in the nation, will attempt to get to 20-3 next weekend. But that won't be easy. The Wildcats are on the road at San Francisco State and Sonoma State. Those teams are tied for third in the CCAA standings at 9-3, a game-and-a-half behind the Wildcats.
 
Both of those games, as are almost all Chico State basketball games, 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.