LA JOLLA—Ten days between games. Limited practice opportunities during Thanksgiving week. A less-than-satisfactory shooting night. And a nationally-ranked opponent racking up 11 3-pointers against the top defense in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). These are just some of the factors that figured into the Chico State women's basketball team ending up on the wrong side of an 81-47 final against No. 17 UC San Diego Saturday at RIMAC Arena, in the conference opener for both schools.
 
Chico State suffered its first loss of the season to dip to 3-1 in the 2018–19 campaign. UC San Diego remained perfect in November, with Saturday's win raising the Tritons' record to 5-0 overall.
 
UC San Diego enjoyed a double-digit lead most of the way, but it still anybody's game at halftime. The Tritons put the contest out of reach in the second half by outscoring the Wildcats 42-20 over the final 20 minutes of play.
 
Natalie Valenzuela scored 11 points on the night to lead the Wildcats, while Shay Stark contributed 10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. McKena Barker chipped in with six points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The 'Cats shot just 26.9 percent from the field (18-for-67) and made only two 3-pointers in 14 attempts from behind the arc.
 
Mikayla Williams and Joleen Yang led five UC San Diego players in double figures with 17 points apiece.   
 
UC San Diego took control of the contest almost immediately. After Stark opened the scoring with a layup, the Tritons answered with seven straight points to grab the lead. Rachel Fielder came off the 'Cats' bench to knock down a pair of jumpers, but with UC San Diego dominating the boards and nailing four 3-pointers, the Tritons built a 24-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
Chico State played UC San Diego straight up in the second period. Early on the Tritons boosted their advantage to 16, but Chico State held UC San Diego scoreless for over three minutes, and a 6-0 run—fueled by buckets from Stark, Barker, and Mikaila Wegenke—brought the Wildcats to within 31-21. The Tritons went back up by 15, but a 3-pointer late in the quarter by Vanessa Holland made the score 39-27 at intermission.
 
The 'Cats were unable to whittle down the deficit in the third quarter. In fact, they spent most of the period trying not to lose ground. UC San Diego extended its lead to 26, and despite buckets by Valenzuela, Stark and Hannah Washington, the Tritons wrapped up the period with a comfortable 66-40 advantage.
 
There would be no late-game rally for the Wildcats, as Chico State managed only two field goals (layups by Barker and Wegenke) in the fourth quarter, allowing UC San Diego to roll to the 34-point victory.   
 
The Wildcats return to action next Saturday, traveling to the Bay Area for a matinee matchup with San Francisco State. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Support Students, Faculty, and Staff Impacted by the Camp Fire
The Wildcat Athletics Family is committed to doing all we can to help spread awareness and help for those directly impacted by the Camp Fire, which struck Butte County on Thursday, November 8. We are reaching out to you asking for help raising money for the Wildcats Rise Fire Recovery Fund, established by the University. 
 
Thanks to our donors' remarkable generosity, the Wildcat Athletics Family has surpassed $5,000 in donations! And yet, we know the needs are substantial. In order to provide even greater relief, which we now know will be necessary, we are setting our sights even higher for the Wildcat Athletics Family Wildcats Rise Fire Recovery Fund. Join us to help our Wildcats Family rise!
 
Give by simply clicking HERE or by texting WildcatsRise74 to 71777.

All donations from individual donors and teams will go to the Wildcats Rise Fire Recovery Fund. Donations to this fund will be distributed to support students, faculty, and staff in need of aid for clothing and household goods, electronics such as phones and laptops, transportation, childcare assistance, temporary housing, school supplies, or meal assistance. 

This terrible disaster will not stop the resolve of our Chico State community. Together, our Wildcats Family will rise.
 
For complete information on the University's response, please visit HERE.