Based on the statistics, Saturday's Chico State-Cal State East Bay women's basketball game had all the earmarks of being an extremely low-scoring affair. The Wildcats and Pioneers possessed the top two defenses in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) going in, with both teams successfully holding their opponents to well under 60 points a contest. Those East Bay stats obviously didn't impress the 'Cats—especially guard Madison Wong. The junior posted a career-high 26 points to lead Chico State to a 78-59 thumping of East Bay in Acker Gym.
Natalie Valenzuela was just two points shy of her
career high Saturday, scoring 17 points against
Cal State East Bay.
The win, Chico State's third straight, moves the Wildcats to 6-1 on the season and 3-1 in the CCAA. Cal State East Bay saw its record even at 5-5 while slipping to 2-3 in conference play.
Wong not only established a personal best with her 26-point performance, but also set single-game career highs with five 3-pointers and seven rebounds. She was literally on fire in the first half, scoring 21 of her points before intermission.
Natalie Valenzuela added 17 points to the 'Cats' attack, with McKena Barker adding eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Shay Stark registered a game-high five assists, as Chico State shot 48.1 percent from the field and hit half of its 14 3-point attempts.
It was the Wildcats' defense that set the tone early in the contest, holding East Bay scoreless for the first six minutes of the opening quarter. Meanwhile, a Valenzuela 3-pointer, a layup by Barker, and two free throws apiece from Wong and Brynn Thoming staked Chico State to a 9-0 lead. Wong accounted for all the 'Cats' scoring for the rest of the period, hitting two more free throws and back-to-back treys to put Chico State up 17-4 heading into the second quarter.
The Pioneers finally started generating some offense in the second period, using a 16-9 run to creep to within 26-20. The 'Cats proceeded to hold the Pioneers to just four points over the quarter's final four minutes, as Wong stepped up again to connect on two more 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to give Chico State a 34-24 lead at halftime.
With East Bay now keying on Wong, the rest of the Wildcats took advantage to the tune of 44 second half points. With the 'Cats up 38-30 two minutes into the third quarter, Chico State broke the contest open with a 17-6 run—a Thoming trey and buckets from Valenzuela and Vanessa Holland serving as the highlights—to balloon the Wildcats' advantage to 19. Chico State went into the fourth quarter up comfortably 55-38.
The 'Cats officially put the game away midway through the final 10-minute stanza, using baskets by Wong, Valenzuela, Barker, and Stark to score 12 of the period's first 14 points and go up 67-40. Myli Martinez, Rachel Fielder, Haley Ison, and Katie Mackenzie all scored points down the stretch to keep the Wildcats' offense chugging, allowing Chico State to run out the clock and register the 78-59 victory.
Chico State is back in action next Saturday, as the Wildcats travel to Arcata to take on the Lumberjacks of Humboldt State (6-2, 4-1 CCAA). Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
