Saturday's Senior Night may not have been scripted the way the Chico State women's basketball team would have liked, but at least it had a happy ending. On the night seniors Tyler Prange, Sherise Porchia and Michelle Townsend were honored at Acker Gym, the Wildcats came up short against visiting Stanislaus State 63-57. But by virtue of Humboldt State losing to UC San Diego, the 'Cats finished the evening clinching the program's first postseason berth in three years.
Chico State dropped its third straight decision to dip to 14-10 on the season and 9-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Despite the loss, the Wildcats snared one of the eight bids to the CCAA Championship Tournament and the chance to earn an automatic bid to next month's NCAA Tournament for the opportunity to compete for the national championship.
It's the first time the 'Cats have reached the postseason since the 2013-14 campaign.
Madison Wong connected for three 3-pointers Saturday and paced the Wildcats with 13 points on the night. Whitney Branham tallied 12 points, while McKena Barker posted a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Chico State came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, hitting six of its first 10 shots to race out to a commanding 16-3 lead—Kayla Taylor accounting for seven points during the stretch. With the exception of a Wong 3-pointer, the 'Cats cooled off in the final three minutes of the period, but still held a 19-7 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
It was Stanislaus State's turn to get hot in the second quarter. The Warriors were 8-of-16 from the field while the Wildcats misfired on 10 of their 13 shots. Stanislaus whittled the deficit down to one with under a minute before intermission, and then took the lead as Ana Burch dropped in a layup as the halftime horn sounded, giving the Warriors a 27-26 lead.
Stanislaus scored the first bucket of the third quarter, only to see Chico State rip off a 14-2 run—Branham knocked down a 3-ball and Barker accounted for six points—to put the Wildcats in front 40-31. The Warriors fought back, outscoring the 'Cats 10-1 over the final 1:17 of the period to knot up the contest at 41-all heading into the fourth quarter.
A 3-pointer by Wong put Chico State back in front early in the final period, but the game became a see-saw affair over the six minutes, with three tie scores and four lead changes. Branham's layup with 3:18 to go put the Wildcats up 55-53, but the swarming Stanislaus defense held the 'Cats without a field goal the rest of the way. A 3-point play by Cassidy Sanders-Curry put the Warriors ahead to stay, and a Burch 3-pointer put Stanislaus up 59-55.
Two free throws by Branham cut the deficit to two with 1:16 remaining, but Stanislaus drained four foul shots down the stretch iced the game, as the Warriors prevailed by a final of 63-57.
Chico State is on the road next weekend to wrap up regular season play. The Wildcats are in Hayward Friday to take on Cal State East Bay, followed by a Saturday showdown at The Kelp Bed against Cal State Monterey Bay. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
