Wins have been hard to come by lately for the Chico State women's basketball team, but the Wildcats know that despite recent setbacks, they're still very much in the mix to land one of the eight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament bids—and that a strong finish over the final six games of the 2019–20 campaign will punch their ticket to postseason play. The 'Cats look to reverse their fortunes this week in Southern California, where they'll take on Cal Poly Pomona Thursday and Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
Fans can follow the action of both games locally on Newstalk 93.9 KPAY FM. Mike Baca's broadcasts will be simulcast on the Internet through the Wildcat Athletics website, which will also feature Live Stats and live streaming video.
Chico State enters play this week with a 12-10 record on the season, and is tied with Humboldt State for seventh place in the CCAA with an 8-8 conference record. It's a tightly-bunched race for the final CCAA Tournament berths, with just two games separating sixth from 10th place. The Wildcats will be trying to catch and overtake Stanislaus State (10-8 CCAA) and Humboldt State (9-9) while maintaining their advantage over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA (both 7-9).
The Wildcats have dropped five of their last seven decisions, including home games last week to CCAA leader UC San Diego and second place Cal State San Marcos. Of Chico State's six remaining regular season games, four are on the road, with four opponents boasting a plus-.500 record.
This week's Southern California clashes will mark the second time this season the 'Cats have gone head-to-head with Cal Poly Pomona, with the Wildcats winning the first meeting with the Broncos 79-67 December 7 at Acker Gym. Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the Wildcats and Cal State San Bernardino.
The Wildcats are 7-4 on the road this season, and have won three of their last four away from Acker Gym.
Chico State is averaging 62.9 points a game on offense, and boast the fourth-stingiest defense among the 13 CCAA schools, allowing just 62.1 points a contest. The Wildcats rank third in the conference with 161 3-point field goals on the season.
Cal Poly Pomona, which hosts the 'Cats Thursday, is 15-8 overall and is tied with Cal State East Bay for third place in the CCAA with an 11-6 conference mark. The Broncos have won four of their last five games, though they split a pair of road decisions last week, falling to Humboldt State 72-69 before scoring a 69-65 victory over Stanislaus State.
Pomona has been tough to beat at home this season, boasting an 8-2 record at Kellogg Arena.
Offensively, the Broncos average 68 points a game, while surrendering an average of 64.3 points a contest. Pomona is the No. 2 rebounding team in the CCAA, grabbing just under 40 boards per night.
The Broncos are led by senior forward Kasey Smit, averaging 13.7 points (fourth in the CCAA) and 8.2 rebounds a game. Senior guard Jackie Ricketson and senior forward Monica Todd combine to average over 19 points and 15 rebounds a contest, while sophomore guard Jayda Villareal is the Broncos' top 3-point shooter with 42 treys on the season.
Pomona has won nine of the last 11 meetings with the Wildcats and leads the all-time series 31-24.
Saturday's game against Chico State is the lone contest of the week for Cal State San Bernardino, which stands at 3-17 on the season and occupies 12th place in the CCAA with a 3-14 conference record. The Coyotes had lost 10 straight before posting back-to-back wins against Sonoma State and San Francisco State to start the month. Last week San Bernardino fell on the road to both Stanislaus State and Humboldt State.
The Coyotes are 2-6 this season on their home floor, Coussoulis Arena.
San Bernardino has struggled offensively, averaging a conference-low 58.4 points a game. On the defensive end, the Coyotes have given up an average of 72.1 points a contest.
San Bernardino features a trio of double-digit scorers. Senior forward Kayla Bibb averages a team-high 12.3 points a game, while junior guard Ashlynn Sharp and senior guard Tehya Burroughs contribute 11.7 and 10.3 points a game, respectively. Bibb is the Coyotes' leading rebounder (7.7 a game), while Sharp's 45 3-pointers is tops on the team.
San Bernardino swept the season series in 2018–19, and has won seven of the last nine meetings dating back to 2015. Though the Wildcats' last victory at Coussoulis Area was back on January 3, 2014, Chico State still leads the all-time series 27-18.
