SAN FRANCISCO—The Chico State women's basketball team, on the heels of Friday's emotional, intense overtime victory against Sonoma State, entered The Swamp Saturday night to take on a hungry San Francisco State squad eager to end a long 14-game losing streak. Instead of wilting on the back end of a tough weekend road trip, the Wildcats rose to the challenge, keeping the scrappy Gators at bay by scoring the game's final six points to post a hard-earned 55-48 win.
Saturday's victory gives Chico State an overall record of 14-7, and by moving to 9-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Wildcats move into sole possession of sixth place in the conference standings, just one game out of third. San Francisco State dropped to 2-19 on the season and 0-14 in CCAA play.
For the second straight night, Kayla Taylor delivered a career-high scoring effort. Taylor led the Wildcats with 17 points, while McKena Barker matched her season high with 10 points to go along with six rebounds. Tyler Prange added nine points and equaled her career high by hauling in eight boards. Madison Wong and Michelle Townsend each had six points as Chico State improved to 5-5 on the road this season.
San Francisco State opened the night's scoring with a 3-pointer, only to see Chico State respond with an 11-2 run—Taylor and Barker knocked down a pair of buckets and Sammy DeHart hit a jumper during the stretch. Another 3-pointer by the Gators at the close of the period cut the 'Cats' lead to 11-8 heading into the second quarter.
The two teams played pretty much straight over the next 10 minutes, but the Wildcats managed to hang onto the lead throughout the period. Two baskets by Taylor and a Townsend 3-pointer extended Chico State's advantage to 24-18, but San Francisco State hung around and the 'Cats had to be content with a 28-24 halftime lead.
The game remained tight for the first five minutes of the third quarter, and with 5:13 left in the period, San Francisco State caught the 'Cats at 34-all. The contest was still tied at 37-37 when Chico State closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run—3-pointers by Townsend and Prange bookended a Taylor layup—to put the Wildcats in front 45-37.
The Gators refused to fold, holding the 'Cats to just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter to pull to within 47-46. Prange hit a big 3-pointer to give Chico State a little breathing room, but San Francisco State answered with a trey to make it a one-point game with just under two minutes to play.
The Gators, however, had run out of bullets—San Francisco State would not score again as Chico State pulled away down the stretch. In the final minute, Taylor converted a 3-point play and free throws by Wong and DeHart officially salted the game away, giving the Wildcats the 55-48 victory and a sweep of the season series.
Chico State has just one game scheduled next week. The Wildcats return to Acker Gym Saturday to host Cal State San Marcos. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
