Isaiah Ellis, Jalen McFerren, and Corey Silverstrom have had numerous big games in a Wildcat uniform—claiming conference titles, earning NCAA Tournament berths, and advancing to the Elite Eight.
 
But the trio never had a chance to soak in their own Senior Night. Not until Saturday. And what a night at Acker Gym it was.
 
Behind big contributions from all three Chico State men's basketball team beat Cal State San Marcos 71-63, breaking a tie with the Cougars for second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings.
 
The Wildcats improved to 18-6 overall and 15-5 in the CCAA. Cal State San Marcos dropped to 19-7, including 14-6 in the CCAA, with two regular-season games left apiece.
 
The win also meant that Saturday would not be the Wildcats' final home game this season. They can't finish worse than fourth in the conference, meaning they'll host a CCAA Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at a time yet to be determined.

 

Celebrated before Saturday's tipoff, the senior trio had reason to celebrate after the game as well. Silverstrom scored 17 points, Ellis poured in 16, and McFerren added 13 to go with six rebounds and four assists.
 
They got more than a little help from big man Justin Briggs, who had 11 points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots. The sophomore now has 100 career blocks, becoming the second Wildcat to reach triple digits. He did it in a game that permeated playoff implications.
 
Not only were the two teams tied for second in the CCAA behind Cal Poly Pomona (17-4 in the CCAA), but the Cougars and Wildcats are vying for one of eight West Region berths in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
 
The teams showed why they're among the best early on and throughout the evening. Ellis and Briggs had Chico State ahead 7-2 before a 10-0 Cougars run turned things around for the visitors.
 
The Wildcats answered with a dominating stretch over the next seven minutes as they outscored San Marcos 20-4. They buried six 3-pointers, with McFerren raining three, and Silverstrom sinking back-to-back triples during the run.
 
They went to the break with a 39-29 lead.
 
While the teams prepared for the second half, the break served as a chance for Chico State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to grant another wish in partnership with Make-A-Wish of Northeastern California and Northern Nevada. Alex, a local five-year-old, received a trip to LEGOLAND. He is the fourth local child the Wildcats granted a wish for in the past eight years.
 

The second half didn't start the way the Wildcats wanted. Ellis had to head to the bench with three fouls after picking up two in the first 1:12 after intermission.
 
His absence coincided with the Cougars climbing within 40-38 on Ethan Alvano's layup with 16:13 left.
 
A long 3 from Nate Ambrosini kept Chico State ahead before Wright answered with one of his own, making it 45-43.
 
An Alvano 3 trimmed the margin to 47-46 before Ellis scored back-to-back baskets. But the big man got his fourth foul with 9:01 left, prompting his exit once again.
 
With Ellis out, the Wildcats needed to find offense. Enter freshman Malik Duffy with perhaps the biggest shot of Senior Night. After the Cougars blocked a shot that sent the ball rolling toward the halfcourt line with the shot clock dwindling down, Duffy let a 35-footer fly. As the ball snapped twine, the Acker faithful rose to their feet. Chico State led 54-48 with 8:29 left in the game.
 
Spiers' fourth 3 would make it a one-point game yet again at 54-53 with 7:06.
 
Duffy answered with another 3, his third on six attempts as he finished with nine points. Marvin Timothy was another standout reserve, grabbing eight rebounds in just nine minutes.
 
Cal State San Marcos kept coming, though, getting within 57-56 with 5:21 left when Ellis checked back into the game.
 
It didn't take long for him to make an impact. Off a McFerren assists, Ellis scored while drawing the foul. He converted the free throw for a 60-56 lead with 5:05 left.

 
Then it was Silverstrom's turn, draining a 3 at 63-58 with 3:09 remaining.
 
The 'Cats still needed more to finish off the Cougars, and Briggs provided it. The sophomore grabbed a loose ball among a scrum of players in the paint and threw down a dunk for a 65-59 lead with 2:25 left.
 
Now nursing the clock with 90 seconds left and a four-point lead, Chico State once again turned to Silverstrom. The senior buried a jumper at 67-61 with 1:01 remaining.
 
The Wildcats' defense held off San Marcos the next three, hurried trips with Ellis getting a steal in the middle of them. His two ensuing free throws had Chico State up 69-61 with 43 seconds left.
 
Fittingly, McFerren and Silverstrom would add free throws as well to finish off the victory as the three seniors have done so much together.
 
They're first trio in program history to score their 1,000th career points in the same season. They've won 87 games including a 45-9 mark at home with one more to come.
 
They've been around for half of the program-record six straight NCAA Tournament berths and could still earn a fourth CCAA regular-season title in seven seasons.
 
The Wildcats came into the week unranked in the initial release for the West Region's top 10 on Wednesday. But coupled with Thursday's 66-56 win over UC San Diego, Saturday's triumph should lead to some kind of a shakeup. The Tritons were fifth while San Marcos was No. 8.
 
With a 1-4 record against the West's top 10 and a 1-3 mark against the top three in the conference, the Wildcats needed big wins. They got them.
 
Chico State can't get comfortable with road games at fifth-place San Francisco State (12-8. 16-10) and rival Sonoma State (7-12 CCAA, 9-14) remaining. The Wildcats did their part at home to add to their case for an NCAA Tournament berth.
 
At season's end, the champions of the CCAA, Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and Pacific West Conference postseason tournaments earn automatic berths into the NCAA Championship Tournament, leaving five at-large berths.