The energy was there. The excitement was there. The execution was not.
 
Back home in Acker Gym and desperately wanting to pull out of its recent tailspin, the Chico State men's basketball team played well in spurts, but never really got rolling in a 78-57 loss to 13^th-ranked UC San Diego Thursday night.
 
The Wildcats did not give themselves much of a chance on the defensive end, allowing the Tritons to score on each of their first 10 possessions of the game on the way to a 50-point first half.
 
Offensively, the Wildcats were led by Malik Duffy, who matched his career-high with 17 points. Kevin Warren finished with 14 points and five rebounds despite playing only 19 minutes due to foul trouble. The sophomore sparked a 17-6 second-half run, scoring seven of his 14 during that six-minute stretch.
 
Chico State, now 5-9 overall and 4-9 in the CCAA, has dropped four straight and six of seven. The Wildcats will try to get untracked when Cal State San Marcos visits Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and 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 www.chicowildcats.com. Links to live stats and live streaming video are also available online.