Whitney Branham drained a 3-pointer and pumped a single fist. Seventeen seconds later, she made another 3, this one drawing a double fist-pump from the Chico State senior guard. By the time she made a third consecutive 3, all there was left to do was celebrate.
 
Branham delivered the knockout blows to Cal State LA as the Chico State women's basketball team won its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament quarterfinal 78-62 Tuesday night at Acker Gym.
 
The sharpshooter delivered an encore performance worthy of her final bow in front of the home fans. She scored a game-high 28 points with 13 of them coming in the last 5:46 of the fourth quarter including the trio of 3s that rained down in a span of 51 seconds and had the fourth-seeded Wildcats ahead 72-57 with 2:18 left in the game.  

The victory was the Wildcats' fourth straight, matching their best streak of the season as they improved to 17-10 overall including 12-2 at home.
 
The win also earns the Wildcats a trip to the CCAA Tournament semifinals at Cal Poly Pomona. UC San Diego awaits after the top-seeded Tritons took care of No. 8 Sonoma State 69-52 in another quarterfinal Tuesday. The semifinal is set for 5:35 p.m. Friday.
 
The semifinal will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290-AM KPAY with the audio simulcast on the Wildcat Athletics website.
 
A victory there and Chico State would be playing for the CCAA Tournament title and the automatic berth into the West Region of the NCAA Championship Tournament that goes with it.
 
Four days after she became the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers, Branham hit possibly the biggest bombs from beyond the arc in a collegiate career filled with them.

 

The fifth-seeded Golden Eagles had reeled off an 11-0 run to pull within 56-51 with 6:36 remaining of a game the Wildcats had led throughout. Then Cal State LA made the margin eight at 63-55 with 3:33 left—an appropriate time with what Branham had in store.
 
Her second 3 in the triple barrage pushed her past Kim Abts (2001-2005) for fourth on the all-time scoring list in program history. Abts totaled 1,460 points in her brilliant career, and now Branham has 1,467 in hers to go with 206 3-pointers. Branham is the only Wildcat with more than 200.
 
She finished with those 28 points on 7-of-12 shooting including 4 of 6 on 3s and a perfect 10-of-10 showing from the line. She also had five rebounds and three of the Wildcats' four steals.
 
Kayla Taylor had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Chico State while Madison Wong and Vanessa Holland added nine points each with Wong dishing out six assists.
 
Chico State started the game with a 6-0 run as Taylor sandwiched a pair of baskets around a Branham layup. The offense continued to flow through the trees of the much taller Golden Eagles. A McKena Barker jumper and a Holland 3 had Chico State ahead 13-4 with 6:13 left in the first quarter.
 
Then an 8-0 run later in the period started with a Wong 3 before the bench chimed in with a Hannah Washington 3—on her first attempted 3 of the season—and a Jo Paine layup on an assist from Washington. Paine made a 3 as well, capping the explosive quarter as Chico State led 28-17.
 
The Golden Eagles matched Chico State's 14-point output in the second quarter thanks to their height advantage. Cal State LA had 14 offensive rebounds by halftime to Chico State's one and enjoyed an 11-0 advantage in second-chance points.
 
The Wildcats would stay ahead thanks to 13 assists to LA's three and a stark difference in shooting. The hosts were 17 of 28 from the floor including 4 of 8 on 3s in the first half. The Golden Eagles made 13 of 38 shots including none of their seven attempts on 3s.
 
Chico State then pulled further ahead in the third quarter with a 14-6 stretch, highlighted by five straight points from Taylor, Branham hitting a 3 and free throws, of course, with Paine and Holland adding baskets, the latter making it 56-40 to end the period.
 
But LA opened the fourth quarter with its momentum-shifting spurt, getting within 56-51 with 6:37 left.
 
Rikke Fabricius had four straight points to get the Golden Eagles within 56-46 as the center finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Suddenly clinging to a five-point lead, Chico State got a Taylor free throw before Branham got to the line for two free throws and a 59-51 advantage. Holland had two more free throws, and Wong drained a pull-up jumper from the line and a 63-52 lead with 4:01 left.
 

Christine Delapina's three-point play then had LA back within single digits at 3:33 left in what was Chico State's first home playoff game since 2013.
Branham made sure it wouldn't be the season finale, draining back-to-back 3s for a 69-55 advantage. After a layup from Delapina, Branham was at it again with another 3 that had the Chico State crowd roaring with approval.
 
Wong and Branham then combined for six free throws to finish off the Golden Eagles on a night when the Wildcats were 18 of 19 from the line. LA made 11 of 21 free throws and was 3 of 23 on 3s compared to Chico State's 8 of 17. The Wildcats also shot 50 percent (26 of 52) with LA at 33.8 percent (24 of 71).
 
The win improved the Wildcat women to 4-0 in postseason games at Acker Gym and is their first playoff victory of any kind since 2014 when they beat Cal State Dominguez Hills 90-70 in the West Regional.

Tickets for the CCAA Tournament semifinals and final will be available at the Kellogg Arena box office on game days.
 
2017-18 CCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
First Round – Tuesday, Feb. 27 (campus sites – higher seed hosts)
#1 UC San Diego 69, #8 Sonoma State 52
#2 Cal Poly Pomona 80, #7 Cal State Dominguez Hills 67
#3 Humboldt State 54, #6 Cal State East Bay 53
#4 Chico State 78, #5 Cal State LA 62

Semifinals – Friday, March 2 (Kellogg Arena – Cal Poly Pomona)
5:35 p.m. – UC San Diego vs. Chico State
8:05 p.m. – Cal Poly Pomona vs. Humboldt State

Final – Saturday, March 3 (Kellogg Arena – Cal Poly Pomona)
7:35 p.m. – Championship game