It could have been rust, brought on by nine days between games. Perhaps an early 3 p.m. tipoff was the problem. But no matter the culprit, the Chico State women's basketball team struggled mightily Saturday afternoon in the program's first-ever meeting with UC Santa Cruz. Poor shooting had the Wildcats playing from behind the entire contest, and despite a fourth quarter rally to pull to within two, the visiting Banana Slugs refused to buckle and went on to register a 55-45 victory at Acker Gym.
Saturday's non-conference loss dropped Chico State to 10-6 on the season. Ironically, the Wildcats actually moved up in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings—their 6-4 conference record puts Chico State alone in fifth place, with the 'Cats trailing the three first place teams (UC San Diego, Cal State East Bay, and Cal State San Marcos) by just one game in the loss column.
That serves as small consolation for a Wildcats team that shot just 25 percent from the field Saturday (18-for-72), and made just four of its 24 attempts from behind the 3-point arc.
Mikaila Wegenke was the leading scorer and rebounder for the 'Cats, posting 12 points while hauling in seven boards. Shay Stark contributed 11 points, while Maddy Wong hit three 3-pointers to finish with nine points on the afternoon. Now with 194 for her career, Wong needs just three more treys to move past Audi Spencer and into second place on Chico State's all-time 3-point list.
The warning signs appeared early in the game, as UC Santa Cruz raced out to a 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the first quarter. Layups by Stark and Wegenke brought Chico State back to within four, but the Banana Slugs answered by draining three 3-pointers and outscoring the Wildcats 11-5 over the final three minutes of the period to go up 21-11.
Both offenses were quiet in the second quarter—the 'Cats were just 4-for-19 shooting, while the Slugs hit just three of their eight field goal attempts. A Brynn Thoming jumper made it a 21-15 contest, only to see UC Santa Cruz immediately respond with a 3-pointer, and by the end of the period, the Banana Slugs had regained their double digit advantage, and went into the locker room with a 29-19 halftime lead.
UC Santa Cruz pushed its lead to a dozen early in the third quarter, and was still up by 10 with a little over a minute remaining in the period. Wong's second 3-pointer of the period tickled the twine with seven seconds remaining, and the quarter ended with Chico State trailing 37-30.
The Wildcats carried that momentum into the final 10-minute stanza, and despite a pair of 3-pointers by the Slugs' Ashley Kowack, Chico State went on an 8-0 run—bookended by 3-pointers from Wong and Stark—to creep to within 43-41 with over six minutes to play. The 'Cats' comeback attempt would fall short, however, as Chico State missed 10 of its final 12 shots. The Wildcats were forced to foul down the stretch, and UC Santa Cruz made five free throws in the final 38 seconds to salt away the 55-45 victory.
The Wildcats return to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action next week, hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills Thursday and Cal State LA Saturday in key conference matchups. Tipoff for each contest is set for 5:30 p.m.
