ROHNERT PARK—The Chico State women's basketball team was able to withstand a couple of long scoring droughts Friday afternoon, and paced by a career-high 17 points by Hannah Washington—11 coming in the pivotal fourth quarter—the Wildcats overcame a seven-point deficit by outscoring Concordia (Oregon) 22-11 over the final 10 minutes to come away with a 65-61 victory over the Cavaliers during action at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in Rohnert Park.
Friday's win, Chico State's second of the week, moves the Wildcats to 3-1 on the season, while Concordia dropped to 0-3 in the 2019–20 campaign.
In addition to her 17 points, Washington pulled down eight rebounds for the victorious Wildcats. Myli Martinez scored a career-high 13 points while Vanessa Holland contributed 10 points on the afternoon. Shay Stark and Daisha Abdelkader scored eight and six points, respectively, and Madison Wong, though held to just three points, hauled in eight rebounds, as Chico State beat Concordia on the boards by a 47-34 margin.
A pair of Washington layups helped propel Chico State to a 9-6 lead early in the first quarter, but an 11-4 Concordia run pushed the Cavaliers in front 17-13. The Wildcats closed the period on a 7-0 run—Holland buried a trey, Stark delivered a layup and Washington sank two free throws—to give Chico State a 20-17 lead heading into the second quarter.
Concordia scored seven of the first nine points in the second 10-minute stanza to jump in front by a deuce, only to see the 'Cats rip off a 7-2 run—highlighted by a Martinez 3-pointer—to retake the lead at 29-26. The Cavaliers were able to hold the Wildcats to just two field goals—layups by Holland and Abdelkader—over a nearly six-minute stretch, and Concordia used a 10-4 run of its own to go into halftime with a 36-33 advantage.
A 3-pointer and a layup by Martinez early in the third quarter knotted up the contest at 38-all, but the Chico State offense would go cold again, failing to score over a five-minute stretch. Concordia took advantage and roared back in front with eight unanswered points, making it a 46-38 game. Wong finally ended the 'Cats' offensive drought with a 3-pointer with 1:20 left in the period, but the Cavaliers still owned a sizeable 50-43 lead as the quarter expired.
The 'Cats came out hot and stayed hot in the final period. Washington opened the scoring with a layup, and Holland ended the quarter-opening 8-0 run by burying a 3-pointer to give Chico State a 51-50 lead. Concordia responded with a bucket to briefly go back in front, only to see the Wildcats score eight straight—Washington delivered two free throws and back-to-back layups, with Holland sinking a breakaway layup—to put Chico State on top 59-52.
The Wildcats were still up by seven with 1:43 to play when Concordia made one last charge, cutting the 'Cats lead to 63-61 and possessing the ball with 14 seconds to play. The Cavaliers' Dorcas Wu missed a potential game-tying layup, though, with Washington grabbing the rebound for the Wildcats. She was immediately fouled, and proceeded to hit two free throws that officially clinched Chico State's come-from-behind 65-61 victory.
The Wildcats wrap up the CCAA/GNAC Challenge Saturday when they take on the Wolves of Western Oregon. Tipoff is set for 12 noon; fans can listen to the play-by-play locally on KPAY Newstalk 93.9 FM and on the Internet through the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats will also be available online.
