The Chico State women's basketball team's annual Senior Night ceremony has served as a time-honored way of showing those players leaving the program how much they meant to fans and teammates alike. All the pregame adulation was showered Saturday on the Wildcats' lone senior, Maddy Wong, and she responded with an electric performance that not only sealed her greatness in the annals of Chico State history, but was also the driving force behind the 'Cats officially clinching a berth in the upcoming California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament. Behind Wong's seven 3-pointers and season-high 23 points, the Wildcats punched their ticket to the postseason with a 67-61 victory over Sonoma State.
Chico State improved to 16-10 on the season, and the team's fourth straight victory moved the Wildcats into a tie with Cal State East Bay for fourth place in the CCAA standings with a 12-8 conference mark. The Wildcats know they've locked down a CCAA Tournament bid, but with two regular season games remaining, Chico State still has a shot at finishing in the top four, earning a first round tournament home game at Acker Gym.
Sonoma State, which also came into the game hoping to secure a first round tournament home game, slipped to 15-10 overall and 11-9 in CCAA play with Saturday's loss.
In addition to her 23 points, Wong posted five assists, three rebounds, and two steals on the night. But the big story was her deadly 3-point shooting: she was 7-for-9 from beyond the arc, setting not one, but two records Saturday: her sixth trey gave Wong the most career 3-pointers by any CCAA player (219), and her final bucket from long distance set a new Chico State record for most 3-pointers in a season (81). Earlier this month, she became the top 3-point shooter in Wildcats history, and now has 220 3-pointers since joining the program four years ago.
Haley Ison added 13 points to the Wildcat attack, with Hannah Washington scoring 11 points and hauling in a team-high seven rebounds. Chico State shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field and forced 27 Sonoma State turnovers on the way to Saturday's win.
The Wildcats led through most of the first quarter, building a 16-9 lead on the strength of three straight Wong 3-pointers and buckets by Ison and Washington. Sonoma State was able to wrestle the lead way from the 'Cats, outscoring Chico State 12-2 in the final 3:17 of the period to go up 21-18.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair. The Seawolves went up by six, but a 9-1 Wildcats run—Wong connecting for another trey, Mikaila Wegenke dropping in a field goal, and Ison hitting a pair of jumpers—put Chico State in front 27-25. Sonoma State answered with five straight points to retake the lead, and went into halftime on top 32-29.
Baskets by Ison and Daisha Abdelkader to start the third quarter put Chico State ahead 33-32—and while it was a lead the 'Cats would not relinquish, it was a tightly-played affair to the final horn. The Wildcats held the Seawolves to just two field goals in the period, and at one point went up by five, but Sonoma cut the deficit to one just before Washington dropped in a layup at the end of the quarter to give Chico State a 43-30 lead heading into the final 10-minute stanza.
Both teams cranked up the offense in the fourth quarter, with the 'Cats and Seawolves combining for 45 points. With Sonoma State trailing 43-42, Chico State went on a 15-7 run—Washington started it with a 3-point play, and Wong capped it off with a 3-pointer—to extend the Wildcats' lead to 58-49. The Seawolves rallied to pull to within two at 59-57 with 1:17 remaining—but it would turn out to be 77 seconds that Wildcat fans will not soon forget. Wong buried two 3-pointers from extremely long range in the final minute, and appropriately put a bow on an exciting Chico State win with a free throw to give the 'Cats the 67-61 victory to sweep the season series with Sonoma State.
Chico State wraps up regular season play next week with a pair of road contests. The Wildcats will be in Arcata Thursday to battle Humboldt State (15-11, 11-10 CCAA), followed by a Saturday showdown in Turlock against Stanislaus State (14-12, 12-9 CCAA). Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
