SEASIDE—The Chico State women's basketball team won its third straight game Thursday, but the winless Cal State Monterey Bay Otters definitely made the Wildcats work for it. The 'Cats let a late 12-point lead get away as Monterey Bay came back to tie the contest in regulation, but with Shay Stark scoring nine of her 11 points in the extra five-minute period, Chico State came away with the 77-69 overtime victory at The Kelp Bed in Seaside.
Thursday's win moved the Wildcats to 10-4 on the season and into a three-way tie with Humboldt State and San Francisco State for fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 7-4 conference record. Monterey Bay, now 0-15 overall and 0-11 in CCAA play, has dropped 21 straight games dating back to last season.
Madison Wong filled up the stat sheet for the 'Cats, knocking down four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. Natalie Valenzuela contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while McKena Barker registered her fourth double-double of the season and 16th of her Chico State career with 12 points and 11 rebounds. In addition to her 11 points, Stark grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists, with Myli Martinez posting career highs with 10 points and four assists.
Barker scored six quick points as Chico State jumped out to a 9-4 first quarter lead. Cal State Monterey Bay came back to knot up the contest at 11-all, but a Valenzuela jumper put the 'Cats up 13-11 as the period ended.
The Otters used a 3-pointer and three-point play early in the second quarter to surge ahead 17-15. The lead was short-lived, as the Wildcats ripped off a 15-0 run—Wong connected on a 3-pointer and two other buckets, while Barker dropped in back-to-back layups—to roar back in front 30-17. Three free throws by Martinez and a 3-pointer by Mikaela Bismillah extended the 'Cats' double-digit advantage, and Chico State took a 38-24 lead into intermission.
A pair of Wong 3-pointers and a Valenzuela layup in the opening minutes of the third quarter put the Wildcats up 46-29. Monterey Bay whittled the deficit to a dozen, only to see Chico State go on an 11-5 run—Martinez leading the way with a 3-ball and layup—to balloon the 'Cats' lead to 57-39. The Otters scored five unanswered points to close out the period, putting the Wildcats up by 13 at 57-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
Chico State appeared to have things in hand in the final 10-minute stanza, with a Wong layup making the score 65-53 with 2:29 to play. But to the Wildcats' horror, Monterey Bay went on an 11-1 run to pull to within 66-64. The Otters fouled Vanessa Holland with six seconds to go, who missed two free throws. Monterey Bay took possession of the ball, and with two seconds remaining, Camille Parker hit a layup to tie it 66-66 and send the game into overtime.
Both team struggled offensively in the first three minutes, with the only points coming on a layup by Wong. Stark then proceeded to put the Wildcats' offense on her shoulders—her 3-point play briefly gave the 'Cats some breathing room, but the Otters responded with a 3-point play of their own to pull to within a deuce with 54 seconds remaining. Stark once again stepped up, tossing in a layup, and following a Monterey Bay turnover, she swished a pair of free throws to push the Wildcats' lead to six. Stark put the game out of reach with two more free throws with seven seconds left, and Chico State ran out the clock to escape with the 77-69.
Chico State is back in action Saturday, traveling to Hayward for an afternoon tilt against Cal State East Bay (7-10, 4-7 CCAA). Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.; Mike Baca will be courtside to provide the play-by-play, broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290-AM and 102.9 FM KPAY, and simulcast on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats and live streaming video will also be available online.
