The emotion may have been heavy during Senior Night festivities, but the game action was absolutely intense as the Chico State women's basketball team and Cal State San Marcos engaged in a fast-moving, free-wheeling contest Saturday at Acker Gym. Seniors Whitney Branham, Kayla Taylor and Jo Paine combined for 39 points and the Wildcats held the Cougars to just seven fourth quarter points to triumph 74-56 and complete a sweep of the season series.
 
Chico State improved to 14-10 overall and 12-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Wildcats sit in fifth place in the conference standings, but knew going into Saturday's contest they had clinched a berth in the upcoming CCAA Championship Tournament. With two regular season games remaining, the 'Cats are still in the hunt for finishing in the conference's top four, thereby earning a first round home game. Chico State trails both Humboldt State and Cal State LA (both tied for third at 13-7) by a game.
 
Cal State San Marcos, out of the postseason picture, dropped its sixth in a row Saturday to fall to 7-17 overall and 7-13 in CCAA play.
 
It certainly was a big Senior Night for Branham, who led the Wildcats' offense with a game-high 21 points. She knocked down three 3-pointers to move to within one of Audi Spencer's Chico State record of 196 career treys. Branham also passed Samantha Copenhaver and vaulted into fifth place on the Wildcats' career scoring list with 1,401 points.

 

McKena Barker recorded her fourth double-double of the season and 12th of her career with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor scored eight points and matched her career high (set two nights earlier against UC San Diego) with 10 boards, while Paine poured in 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 18 solid minutes off the bench. Freshman Brynn Thoming railed three 3-pointers to finish with a career-high nine points on the evening.
 
The Wildcats never trailed in the first quarter, but could never pull away from San Marcos, who frequently answered any Chico State score. The 'Cats used an 8-2 run—fueled by a 3-pointer by Vanessa Holland and buckets by Barker and Paine—to go up 15-9, but the Cougars were able to narrow the gap and trail 19-17 at the end of the period.
 
San Marcos tied things up at 21-apiece early in the second quarter, only to see Chico State reel off 11 straight points. Branham drained a pair of 3-pointers and converted a three-point play to help the Wildcats go up 32-21. The Cougars were able to close to within six later in the period, but another 3-pointer by Holland gave Chico State a 37-28 halftime lead.
 
The 'Cats extended their advantage to a dozen three times in the third quarter, but San Marcos used a 14-4 run to whittle the deficit down to two. Branham took over the final minute of the period, delivering another three-point play and a pair of free throws to give Chico State a 56-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Wildcats put the hammer down in the final 10-minute stanza. After hitting its first two shots of the period, the Cougars felt the pressure from the Wildcats' defense and misfired on 11 of their final 12 shots. The 'Cats, meanwhile, went on a 16-0 run to take command of the contest, with Brynn Thoming the offensive star with a trio of 3-pointers. Branham swished another trey and buckets by Taylor and Barker put the game out of reach at 74-54.
 
With a minute to go, Head Coach Brian Fogel emptied his bench, and in a fitting way to end Senior Night, Haley Cremen—who had sat out nearly two seasons due to injuries and last played on February 25, 2016—made her way on the court to finish up the contest and her Wildcat career. The 'Cats ran out the clock to register the 74-56 victory.     
 
Chico State wraps up regular season play next weekend, traveling to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco State Friday and Sonoma State on Saturday. Both games will tip off at 5:30 p.m.