SAN MARCOS – The Chico State and UC San Diego men's basketball teams have dominated the headlines in the California Collegiate Athletic Association over the past three seasons, combining for the last three CCAA titles and compiling the top two records in the conference by a considerable margin. But come Saturday, only one will be playing for the CCAA Tournament title.
That is because the teams will square off in Friday's first semifinal game at 5:35 at The Sports Center on the campus of Cal State San Marcos. The winner will advance to Saturday's 7:35 p.m. title game.
UC San Diego stopped Chico State's string of CCAA titles at two this season, winning its first. Chico State is 65-20 overall and 49-13 in CCAA games over the past three seasons. UC San Diego is 63-24 overall and 46-16 in the CCAA. During that stretch the teams have gone 1-1 against each other each seasons.
That includes this one. UC San Diego beat the Wildcats 60–56 on Dec. 1 in a game in which no team led by more than eight. Chico State used a 9–0 run to grab a 44–39 advantage with 12 minutes to play, and it was a back-and-forth battle after that.
Robert Duncan tied the game with a jumper with 2:36 remaining, but UC San Diego's Chris Hansen hit a jumper 20 seconds later to give the Tritons the lead for good.
Hansen finished with a game-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Corey Silverstrom led Chico State with 13 points, including 11 in the second half. Nate Ambrosini had 11 on 4-of-5 shooting off the bench. Duncan finished with nine points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Isaiah Ellis blocked four shots for Chico State despite fouling out in 25 minutes. Justin Briggs blocked three shots and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
The Wildcats turned the tables when they hosted the Tritons on Jan. 28. Trailing by 13 at the half, they rallied for a 69–64 win. Corey Silverstrom scored 12 of his 14 points, Michael Bethea, Jr. nine of his 14, and Isaiah Ellis all nine of his points after the break. Meanwhile, the Tritons missed 20 of 25 shots after the break, including all eight of their 3-point tries.
But this time, there's a rubber match. The winner will face either San Francisco State or Sonoma State for the tournament title.
The winner will also presumably breathe much easier when it comes to Sunday's night's NCAA Championship Tournament Selection Show.
Every Chico State postseason basketball game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to a Cal State San Marcos-provided livestream, Mike Baca's local radio audio, and live stats are all at
www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section on the homepage and on the men's basketball schedule page.
2017 CCAA Tournament
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, Feb. 28 – higher seed hosts
No. 1 UC San Diego 78, No. 8 Humboldt State 72
No. 2 San Francisco State 93, No. 7 Cal State L.A. 67
No. 3 Sonoma State 63, No. 6 Cal Poly Pomona 56
No. 4 Chico State 75, No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills 72
Semifinals: Friday, March 3 – The Sports Center in San Marcos, Calif.
UC San Diego vs. Chico State, 5:35 p.m.
San Francisco State vs. Sonoma State, 8:05 p.m.
Championship: Saturday, March 4 – The Sports Center in San Marcos, Calif.
UC San Diego/Chico State winner vs. San Francisco State/Sonoma State winner, 7:35 p.m.
