The Chico State men's basketball team got back to the grind to beat Cal State East Bay Saturday night. Two nights after winning a rare shootout at Acker Gym with a season-high 94 points, the Wildcats' shut-down defensive form reemerged in a 70-59 victory over the Pioneers, holding the visitors 13 points below their season scoring average.
 
Chico State has now won seven in a row, and in six of those games, their opponents have scored well below their season average.
 
At no point during that stretch have the Wildcats trailed in the second half. Cal State East Bay attempted to change that with a second-half charge, pulling to within a bucket on three occasions. But each time, Chico State responded with a score on its next trip down the floor—a Jalen McFerren 3 with 13:37 left, a Malik Duffy jumper with 12:46 remaining, and two Justin Briggs free throws with 12:08 to play.
 
The Wildcats put the clamps on the Pioneers' offense to pull away, holding East Bay without a made field goal over a 4:30 stretch while building their lead back to 13. Duffy capped the decisive 12-1 run with two free throws and a triple on consecutive possessions. The Wildcats' lead was nine or greater from that point on.
 

Duffy, a freshman forward, finished with 13 points, matching the career-high he posted Thursday night, and grabbed five rebounds. His performance was crucial in the wake of Isaiah Ellis' foul trouble that kept the reigning California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Player of the Week on the bench for half of the game.
 
Corey Silverstom delivered a career-best nine assists to go along with 11 points. McFerren scored a team-high 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Nate Ambrosini knocked down 4-of-5 shots, including 2-of-3 threes, on the way to a 10-point night. And the center combination of Briggs and Marvin Timothy combined for 14 points and 15 rebounds.
 
The Wildcats are now 16-5, including 10-1 at home, and 13-4 in the CCAA.
 
With five games remaining on its regular-season schedule, Chico State is a game behind conference leader Cal Poly Pomona (13-3 in the CCAA) and second-place Cal State San Marcos (12-3) in the loss column, and a game ahead of fourth-place UC San Diego (12-4) in the win column.
 
They have an opportunity to put themselves into even better position with a win Thursday night at Stanislaus State (14-8, 9-7 CCAA). Cal State San Marcos and Cal Poly Pomona are scheduled to play twice between Tuesday and Saturday, and UC San Diego hosts Cal Poly Pomona Friday night.
 
Following Thursday's game, Chico State will return home to take on UC San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 15, and Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, Feb. 17.
 
They'll wrap up the regular season at San Francisco State and Sonoma State on the weekend of Feb. 23-24.
 
The Wildcats are after their third CCAA title in four years and fourth in the past seven.