The Chico State women's basketball team's high-scoring offense was back on display Saturday as the Wildcats returned to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action against Stanislaus State. The 'Cats combined their potent offense—scoring 40 second half points—with some shut-down defense, holding the Warriors to just 13 in the fourth quarter on their way to a 73-61 victory at Acker Gym.
 
Chico State won its third in a row to improve to 3-2 overall and now claims a share of first place in the CCAA with a 2-0 conference record. Saturday's loss drops Stanislaus State to 3-3 on the season and 1-2 in CCAA play.
 
For the fifth straight game, Whitney Branham reached the 20-point mark to lead all scorers. In the process, she etched her name into the Chico State record book, moving past Michelle Pietka and into 10th place on the Wildcats' all-time scoring list with 1,080 career points.

 

Kayla Taylor hit seven of her eight field goal attempts to finish with a career-high 19 points while also hauling in eight rebounds and posting four steals. McKena Barker contributed 13 points, four rebounds and four assists to the Wildcat attack, and Aqeelah Williams dished out a team-high six assists on the night.
 
Chico State, the top shooting team in the CCAA, connected on over 45 percent of its field goal attempts and nearly 47 percent from behind the 3-point arc. The Wildcats also shot an impressive 83.3 percent from the free throw line.
 
The 'Cats were a little slow out of the gate in the opening quarter, hitting just three shots in the first six minutes as Stanislaus took an early 10-6 lead. A Hannah Washington layup, a Branham 3-pointer and a Barker free throw briefly moved Chico State ahead 12-10, but the Warriors closed out the period on a 7-2 run to lead 17-14 heading into the second quarter.
 
A 3-pointer by Madison Wong at the start of the second period tied up the contest, followed a minute later by another Branham trey to put the Wildcats on top 20-17. Chico State twice extended its advantage to five points, but Stanislaus hung around, and despite a Washington layup and a 3-pointer by Vanessa Holland in the quarter's final two minutes, the Warriors were able to cut the deficit to just a deuce at intermission, and the 'Cats had to be content with a 33-31 halftime lead.
 
Stanislaus scored the first three points of the third quarter to jump in front 34-33, but the lead didn't last long. Chico State responded with a 15-4 run—highlighted 3-pointers by Branham and Williams, plus a pair of buckets by Taylor—to go up 48-38. Before the quarter was over, the Wildcats had stretched their lead to 13, and went into the final period on top 59-48.
 
Chico State, which has struggled this season protecting double-digit leads in the fourth quarter, had no such problem Saturday. The Warriors threatened to make it interesting, using a 6-1 run early in the period to pull to within six, but the Wildcats defense immediately came to the fore, as Stanislaus missed eight of their next nine shots. Meanwhile, the 'Cats put the game away courtesy of a 13-4 run, as Branham nailed another 3-pointer and Taylor hit three straight shots and a pair of free throws to balloon Chico State's lead to 15 at 73-58. A Warriors 3-pointer with a minute left completed the night's scoring, and the 'Cats successfully ran out the clock to win going away 73-61.     
 
The Wildcats take to the road next weekend, traveling to Southern California to take on CCAA foes Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino. The 'Cats and Broncos tip off Friday at 5:30 p.m., with Sunday's Wildcats-Coyotes matchup getting underway at 12 noon.