The Chico State men's basketball team ticked another box on its revenge tour Thursday night, knocking off Cal State LA 69-66 at University Gym in Los Angeles. With eight players back from last season's 9-14 campaign, all apparently with strong memories, the Wildcats improved 5-1 against teams that beat them in their final meeting of last year.
Justin Briggs led the way with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double. The big man hit 8-of-10 shots and led the way to a 42-24 advantage on the glass while converting a trio of tip-ins.
Malik Duffy' second bucket of the night, a 17-footer from the right wing, snapped a 66-all deadlock with 67 seconds to play before Kevin Warren knocked down 1-of-2 free throws to make it a three-point lead. An off-balance 3-point attempt by Cal State LA's Khalil rimmed out and Isaiah Brooks grabbed the rebound and dribbled out the clock.
Warren finished with 13 points and five rebounds, Calvin Geraci 10 points and a career-high five rebounds, and Brooks contributed nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Chico State improved to 10-3 overall and 6-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with its fourth straight victory and eighth in its last nine outings. The Wildcats are now in sole possession of second place, a half game behind conference leader UC San Diego and a half game ahead of Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino.
The Wildcats will stay in Southern California to face Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be broadcast locally on FM 93.9 KPAY. Links to streaming audio, live stats, and pay-per-view streaming video provided by Cal State Dominguez Hills are available via links directly above this.
Cal State LA slipped to 9-5 overall and 4-4 in the CCAA.
The Wildcats scored the game's first 10 points, keeping the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard until nearly six minutes had elapsed, and got a big early lift from Brennan Wheeler off the bench. The sophomore scored a career-high seven points to go along with Briggs' early 14 to help Chico State take a 38-30 lead into the break.
Cal State LA chipped away at the lead, however, and finally took its first lead with 11:28 to play. Just nine seconds later, Geraci canned a triple to put the Wildcats back ahead.
The Golden Eagles took the lead once again with 4:24 remaining, and after Warren made a pair of free throws to put Chico State back up by a point, Khalil Williams buried his third 3-pointer of the second half to put Cal State LA ahead 64-62 with 3:31 to go.
The Chico State defense took control from there, however, limiting the Golden Eagles to just one more basket while forcing them into a turnover and three one-and-done possessions down the stretch.
Briggs' offense rebound and put-back with 2:15 remaining tied the score and Isaiah Brooks gave Chico State the lead with a pair of free throws with 1:47 left. After Williams re-tied the game with a jumper, giving him 15 second-half points, Duffy drained the bucket that gave Chico State the lead for good. Brooks drove into the left side of the lane and then skipped a pass to Duffy in three-point land. The junior forward pump faked to clear a defender, took one dribble inside the arc, and then drilled what proved to be the game winner.
The Wildcats dropped their final conference meeting against nine different teams last season. Of those nine teams, they have already defeated Cal State East Bay, UC San Diego, Sonoma State, Cal State Monterey Bay, and Cal State LA this season. They lost their first matchup against Cal Poly Pomona, and have yet to play Cal State Dominguez Hills, San Francisco State—their next two opponents—or Cal State San Marcos.
