The 2017–18 Chico State women's basketball team is proving to be one of the program's most productive offense units in many a year. The Wildcats averaged 77 points over their first three games, and Wednesday Head Coach Brian Fogel's squad thrilled the Acker Gym crowd by surpassing that impressive figure in the home opener against Holy Names. The 'Cats started slow, but scored 74 points in the final three quarters to easily down the Hawks by a final of 89-58.
The win—Chico State's second in a row—evened the Wildcats' season record at 2-2. Holy Names slipped to 1-6 overall.
Aqeelah Williams drained three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points
in the Wildcats' 89-58 win over Holy Names.
The Chico State seniors led the way offensively, with Whitney Branham scoring a team-high 20 points. Kayla Taylor matched her season high with 17 points to go along with six rebounds, five steals and three assists. Aqeelah Williams came off the bench to add 13 points to the 'Cats' attack, with McKena Barker racking up eight points, four rebounds and five assists.
Though they missed their first seven shots of the contest, the Wildcats shot 48.4 percent from the field (31-for-64) and connected for 10 of their 18 3-point attempts on the night.
Holy Names took advantage of Chico State's slow start and jumped out to an early 9-2 lead. Branham finally found the bottom of the bucket with a 3-pointer, and combined with layups by Taylor and Katie Mackenzie, a Barker jumper and a pair of Taylor free throws, the Wildcats outscored the Hawks 13-4 over the final six minutes of the period to fashion a 15-13 lead heading into the second quarter.
Chico State took total command in the second period, outscoring Holy Names 25-6. Branham and Taylor each scored six points, with Williams nailing a 3-pointer and scoring five points to power the 'Cats to a 40-19 halftime advantage.
The two teams played even in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Branham and a Taylor layup pushed Chico State's advantage to 24, and though Holy Names got the deficit whittled down to 17 on five different occasions, the 'Cats always seem to have an answer. A 3-pointer by Vanessa Holland and a 3-point play by Taylor closed out the period, and Chico State went into the fourth quarter up 66-45.
The 'Cats put an exclamation mark on the proceedings in the final 10-minute stanza. After the Hawks scored the first basket of the quarter, Chico State ripped off an 18-3 run on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers by Williams, and baskets by Mackenzie, Shay Stark and Hannah Washington. Jo Paine, seeing her first action of the season, swished four free throws down the stretch to complete the night's scoring, giving the Wildcats the 89-58 victory.
The Wildcats break briefly for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to Acker Gym and California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play Saturday against Stanislaus State (3-2, 1-1 CCAA). Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
