The Chico State women's basketball team has not enjoyed a whole lot of success in February, but despite losing four straight and five of the last six games, the Wildcats still find themselves near the top of what has developed into a sizeable logjam in the race for the eight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament berths. The 'Cats look to turn their fortunes around on the road this week, traveling to Southern California to face Cal State LA Thursday and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday. Both games will tip off at 5:30 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.
 
Chico State boasts an overall record of 12-9 entering play, and sits in fifth place in the CCAA with a 9-9 conference mark. The 'Cats' current losing streak now has Brian Fogel's squad on the outside looking in for the right to host a first round CCAA Tournament game. For the Wildcats to lock down one of the conference's top four spots—and the first round home game—they'll need a strong finish and some help over the final four regular season contests.
 
While Chico State is trying to move up in the CCAA standings, the Wildcats also have several conference teams nipping at their heels. Only one game separates the 'Cats from 10th place, as Cal State East Bay (9-10), Cal State San Bernardino (9-11), Cal State Dominguez Hills (8-10), Sonoma State (8-10) and San Francisco State (8-10) are all bunched up in the fight for one of the eight CCAA Tournament bids.
 
Both of Chico State's opponents have extra incentive to knock off  the Wildcats this week. Earlier in the season, the Wildcats beat Cal State Dominguez Hills 78-54 January 10 at Acker Gym, then two days later posted a 59-47 home victory over Cal State LA.
 
Cal State LA (8-15 overall, 5-14 CCAA), though still mathematically alive in the postseason hunt, have suffered through a nearly two-month freefall after starting the 2018–19 campaign 6-3. The Golden Eagles have lost 12 of their last 14 games to slip to 12th place in the conference standings.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills (12-12, 8-10 CCAA), which takes on the Wildcats following a Thursday matchup with Humboldt State, is one of three teams tied for eighth place and just one game out of fifth. The Toros leaped into postseason contention on the strength of a five-game winning streak January 19–February 7, but has cooled off the past two weeks, dropping three straight decisions. Last week Dominguez Hills fell to UC San Diego 89-70 and Cal State San Marcos 76-64.
 
Chico State comes into play averaging 65.6 points a game on offense, while giving up 64.8 points on the defensive end. In the Wildcats' last four contests, however, they've surrendered an average of 75.5 points a night.
 
The 'Cats, ranked second in the CCAA with 151 3-pointers, statistically hold an edge over both the Toros and Golden Eagles, as neither team is prolific from beyond the arc. Dominguez Hills will pose problems for Chico State on the glass—while the Wildcats are third in the conference (40.3 rebounds a game), the Toros lead the CCAA with an average of 47.8 boards per contest.
 
Shay Stark is the Wildcats' leading scorer, averaging an even 12 points a game. Senior guard Chiderah Uzowuru (13.7 points a game) owns high-point honors for Cal State LA, with senior guard/forward Nautica Morrow (14.6 points a game) leads the Dominguez Hills offense.
 
Chico State has won five of the last seven meetings with Cal State LA, and leads the all-time series with the Golden Eagles 37-15.
 
The Wildcats have beaten Dominguez Hills in three of their last four matchups, with Chico State holding a 40-17 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.