CARSON—The Chico State women's basketball team started the week's two-game Southern California road swing with unquestionably its worst performance of the season. The Wildcats came away determined that game two of the trip would have no resemblance whatsoever to Thursday's blowout loss to Cal State LA. Head coach Brian Fogel's squad successfully flipped the script Saturday afternoon, and did so in impressive fashion, shooting 50 percent from the field and connecting on 10 of 19 shots from behind the 3-point arc to down Cal State Dominguez Hills 81-64 at The Torodome in Carson.
Chico State improved to 9-5 overall with Saturday's victory, and moved to 5-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Dominguez Hills saw its modest two-game winning streak snapped, slipping to 6-8 on the season and 3-5 in CCAA play.
Maddy Wong torched the Toros from long range, connecting on a career-high seven 3-pointers—one shy of the single-game school record—to lead all scorers with 21 points. Daisha Abdelkader was a huge factor in the Wildcats' offensive attack, contributing 10 points, grabbing five rebounds, and matching her single-game season high with eight assists. Haley Ison scored nine points and hauled in five boards; Brynn Thoming added eight points and four assists, while Myli Martinez and Shay Stark finished with eight points apiece. Mikaila Wegenke led the 'Cats with seven rebounds.
The 81 points were a single-game season high for the 'Cats, and the most scored by any Chico State team since an 87-point performance December 19, 2017 in a win over Simpson University.
The Wildcats were slow out of the blocks, as Cal State Dominguez Hills bolted out to a 9-2 lead three minutes into the game. A 3-pointer by Martinez and layups by Abdelkader and Wegenke knotted up the contest, only to see the Toros knock down a trey to jump back on top. Chico State finished the period on a 9-3 run—Wong buried a 3-pointer, Thoming dropped in a pair of buckets, and Wegenke nailed a hook shot to give the 'Cats a 20-17 lead heading into the second quarter.
Chico State ballooned its advantage to 11 by scoring the first eight points of the second period, as two Wong 3-pointers and an Ison layup put the Wildcats up 28-17. Dominguez Hills whittled the deficit to five, but a 6-0 'Cats run—two Abdelkader free throws sandwiched between Wegenke and Hannah Washington buckets—made the score 34-23. Another Martinez 3-pointer and baskets by Thoming, Washington, and Stark closed out the quarter, giving the Wildcats a 43-30 halftime lead.
Dominguez Hills got a hot start to the third quarter, creeping to within 45-38. Chico State answered with a huge 12-0 run—highlighted by three Wong 3-pointers—to expand the Wildcats' lead to 19 at 57-38. The 'Cats were shut out for the final four minutes of the period, but still boasted a 57-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
A Vanessa Holland 3-pointer early in the final 10-minute stanza put the Wildcats back up by 19, and though the Toros tried to mount a comeback, Dominguez Hills would get no closer than 15 points the rest of the way. A 7-0 Chico State run, capped off by Wong's final 3-pointer of the afternoon, gave the 'Cats their biggest lead at 77-54 with 3:43 to play, and late baskets by Thoming and Abdelkader put the finishing touches on Chico State's impressive 81-64 victory.
Chico State finishes up its three-game road swing next week with a single contest. The Wildcats will be in the Bay Area Thursday to take on San Francisco State (1-10, 1-7 CCAA). Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
