For the moment at least, some of the Chico State women's basketball team's early season frustrations will take a back seat to the joys of the season. The Wildcats saw to it Tuesday that they entered the well-deserved holiday break on a positive note, running their home record to 4-0 and evening their overall mark at 5-5 with a convincing 87-67 non-conference win over Simpson University at Acker Gym.
 
Chico State led from wire-to-wire, scoring the first 10 points of the contest and never looking back. Every available Wildcat saw playing time Tuesday, with all five starters finishing the night scoring in double figures. Whitney Branham led the way with 19 points, while Vanessa Holland drained four 3-pointers to contribute a career-high 15 points. Kayla Taylor also scored 15, with Madison Wong chipping in with 11 points while leading the 'Cats with six rebounds and six assists. McKena Barker rounded out the double-digit brigade with 11 points to go along with three rebounds and four steals.

 

Branham, Holland and Wong all knocked down 3-pointers to set the tone for the evening, as Chico State raced out to an early 15-2 first quarter lead. Chico State kept the pedal to the metal, as Branham delivered a pair of layups and Barker bagged a bucket to balloon the Wildcats' advantage to 23-6. Simpson climbed back into the contest with an 12-0 run, but two layups by Taylor in the final 30 seconds of the period gave the Wildcats a 27-18 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
The 'Cats dominated the first five minutes of the second period—a Holland 3-pointer and a trey by Wong bookended a 15-2 run to extend Chico State's lead to 22 points at 42-20. The Red Hawks chipped away at the deficit, pulling to within 13 points, but a Taylor jumper to close out the quarter gave the Wildcats a 50-35 halftime lead.
 
Chico State's offense continued to roll in the third quarter, and combined with the defense holding Simpson to just four field goals and 12 points, the Wildcats finished the period with a commanding 73-47 lead. Katie Mackenzie came off the bench to score five points in the quarter, with Holland connecting for another 3-pointer and Branham and Taylor scoring four points apiece.
 
The 'Cats went up 77-49 early in the fourth quarter and never led by less than 19 in the final 10-minute stanza. Simpson's offense finally got untracked, outscoring Chico State 18-10 over the final 8:47, but it was far too little and far too late as the Wildcats rolled to the 87-67 victory.
 
Chico State will take the next nine days off for the holidays before returning to action Friday, December 29, when the Wildcats host Cal State LA (5-8, 4-3 California Collegiate Athletic Association) at 5:30 p.m. in Acker Gym. The 'Cats will also welcome in Cal State Dominguez Hills for a special New Year's Eve matinee Sunday the 31st at 2 p.m.