The Chico State men's basketball team snapped out of a three-game funk by forcing Cal State San Bernardino into a funk of its own. The Wildcats held the visiting Coyotes to just 11 points over the final 15:08 of the first half, and got a game-high 23 points from Corey Silverstrom, in a 65–57 victory Thursday night at Acker Gym.
 
The Wildcats, 10-5 overall and 7-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, will attempt to build on that momentum Saturday night in a showdown with first-place Cal Poly Pomona.
 
Silverstrom was aggressive and accurate. The senior guard connected on 7-of-11 shots, only two of which came from beyond the arc. He instead opted to attack the paint with the dribble. As a result, he drew four shooting fouls and converted 8-of-9 free throws. He also passed out of traffic well, logging three assists.
 
Jalen McFerren chipped in 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and Justin Briggs made all three of his shots, finishing with seven points.
 
Chico State trailed 13–8 after a pair of Coyotes free throws nearly five minutes into the game, but held Cal State San Bernardino without a basket over the next seven minutes. Silverstrom scored the last six points of Chico State's corresponding 16–1 run.
 
Early in the second half, he scored on a drive and a fast-break jumper before hitting two free throws to build the Wildcats' lead to 41–26.
 
Silverstrom drove a dished to McFerren for a 3-pointer from the wing with 10:17 remaining to give Chico State its largest lead of the night, 51–34.
 
McFerren returned the favor, assisting on Silverstrom's 3-pointer with 8:03 remaining that pushed the lead back to 17, before Cal State San Bernardino made one final desperate push.
 
Chico State went nearly five minutes without a field goal as the Coyotes cut the lead to two before Briggs scored on a short jumper in the paint, assisted by Silverstrom.
 
Silverstrom hit a pair of free throws with 1:55 remaining to push the advantage to 61–55, and then Isaiah Ellis connected on a jump shot in the paint with 1:19 to go.
 
The lead was six when Silverstrom delivered the dagger, a fade-away jump shot in the paint with 28 seconds to play that stretched the lead to eight.
 
Cal State San Bernardino slipped to 6-9 overall and 4-7 in the CCAA.
 
Silverstrom and Ellis moved past Jason Van Eck into 14^th and 15^th, respectively, on the Chico State career scoring list with Thursday's efforts. Silverstrom, who now has 1,126 career points, also slipped past Jon Baird into fifth on the career 3-pointers list with his 166th. Ellis has 1,117.
 
McFerren moved closer to joining his teammates in the 1,000-point club. He's now just 22 points away. He's also only five rebounds shy of becoming just the 14^th player in the history of the program—and first point guard—with 500 rebounds. If he reaches those two milestones, McFerren will be the only player in the history of the program with career totals topping 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 100 steals.
 
Tipoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Broncos won a thrilling first meeting between the teams 83–79 in double overtime on Dec. 1 in Pomona.
 
The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to streaming audio, streaming video, and live stats are available on the men's basketball schedule page and in the calendar section of the homepage at www.chicowildcats.com.