A month ago, the Chico State women's basketball team had lost three of four and were going nowhere fast, falling under the .500 mark and into the lower reaches of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. But with the cold winter weather, the Wildcats have become red-hot, winning six of their last seven. Their latest victim was Cal Poly Pomona, who could only muster 25 second half points against a stifling 'Cats defense as Chico State posted an impressive 71-59 victory.
Saturday's win continued Chico State's dominance at home, as the 'Cats improved to 8-0 at Acker Gym this season. The Wildcats move to 10-6 overall and stay tied with Humboldt State for third place in the CCAA, just a half-game behind second place Cal Poly Pomona.
Kayla Taylor posted 13 points
against Pomona, one of four
Wildcats to enjoy a double digit
scoring night against the Broncos.
The Broncos saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end Saturday to slip to 11-5 on the season and 8-3 in CCAA play.
Four Wildcats registered double-digit scoring efforts. Whitney Branham led the way with 18 points, but Saturday's big story was freshman Shay Stark, who came off the bench and turned in 23 productive minutes, resulting in a career-high 15 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Kayla Taylor contributed 13 points, with Madison Wong logging 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. McKena Barker provided the heavy lifting for the 'Cats on the boards, snaring a game-high 12 rebounds.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams establishing leads, only to see them slip away. A Branham 3-pointer put the Wildcats in front 9-8, but Cal Poly Pomona held Chico State to just a Jo Paine field goal in the final four minutes while scoring nine points of its own to take a 17-11 lead into the second quarter.
The Broncos increased their advantage to 26-17 midway through the second period, but for the rest of the quarter it was all Wildcats. Chico State hit eight of nine shots to close out the half, including treys by Branham, Wong and Stark. When the dust had cleared, the 'Cats had outscored Pomona 21-8 to take a 38-34 lead at intermission.
The Broncos scored the first seven points of the third quarter to jump back in front, but Chico State rallied back, as two free throws by Branham and buckets by Stark and Vanessa Holland tied the contest at 44-all. The contest was knotted up at 46-apiece when the 'Cats reeled off nine straight points—Stark hit a layup and a 3-pointer, Branham drained a jumper and Taylor swished a pair of free throws—to finish the period up 55-46.
The Wildcats came out firing in the fourth quarter, with baskets by Taylor and Stark pushing Chico State's lead to 60-46. Pomona could get no closer than 10 the rest of the way, as Branham railed another 3-pointer and Wong netted four free throws in the final minutes to keep the Broncos at arm's length. Holland sealed the deal with a pair of charity tosses to give Chico State the 71-59 victory, evening the season series with the Broncos at a win apiece.
Chico State hosts Humboldt State Saturday, January 20 in the Wildcats' lone game next week. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Acker Gym.
