No California Collegiate Athletic Association men's basketball team has taken better advantage of its home court than Chico State over the past few seasons. The Wildcats have won 28 of their last 30 home conference affairs, and hope to add to that success Saturday when they welcome San Francisco State to Acker Gym for a 7:30 p.m. showdown.
Three victories during that stretch have come against San Francisco State, a team the Wildcats have won six home games in a row against. The Wildcats had won eight straight overall against the Gators before falling 65–51 on Feb. 4 in San Francisco.
The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to streaming video and live stats are available on the top-left hand corner of this story, on the men's basketball schedule page, and in the calendar section of the homepage.
The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start at home this season, including 1-0 in conference play. At 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the CCAA, the Wildcats are currently tied for third place in the conference standings with San Francisco State. The Gators are 6-3 overall and 3-1 in the CCAA.
Chico State currently ranks third in the conference in scoring at 80.3 points per game, one spot behind San Francisco State (83.1 ppg). The Wildcats rank third in scoring defense (67.2 ppg) and San Francisco State is last at 78.9.
The Wildcats also lead the conference in rebounding margin, having out-boarded its opponents by an average of 8.5 per game. San Francisco State ranks eighth in rebounding margin at minus-0.4.
Evan Zeller and Chiefy Ugbaja pace the Gators' offense. Zeller has connected on 29 3-pointers this season and ranks second in the CCAA in scoring at 17.2 points per game. Ugbaja averages 13.9 points per game and leads the conference in shooting percentage, having converted on 61 percent of his shot attempts.
Chico State seniors Isaiah Ellis, Corey Silverstrom, and Jalen McFerren have paced the Wildcats' offensive attack. Ellis is second in the CCAA in shooting percentage (.560), Silverstrom ranks among the top five in scoring (16.6 ppg), 3-pointers made, 3-point shooting percentage, and assists. McFerren is averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
