The Chico State women's basketball team roars into this week's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament as one of the hottest teams in the conference, wrapping up regular season play with six consecutive victories. As the result, the Wildcats have earned a home game in the first round of the eight-team CCAA Tournament, and head coach Brian Fogel's squad is hoping its positive momentum will continue into the postseason. The 'Cats, the tourney's No. 4 seed, hosts No. 5 Cal State East Bay Tuesday at Acker Gym, with tipoff slated for 5:30 p.m.
 
Tickets for the game are now on sale at the University Box Office in Sierra Hall, located on the corner of 3rd and Chestnut streets. Box office hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket orders can also be called in at (530) 898-6333.
 
The first 300 students through the door on game night will be admitted free of charge.
 
Fans unable to attend in person can follow the action locally on Newstalk 93.9 KPAY FM. Mike Baca and Mike Wessels' broadcast will be simulcast on the Internet through the Wildcat Athletics website, which will also feature Live Stats and live streaming video.
 
The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the CCAA Tournament semifinals, where it will take on the winner of the Cal State San Marcos-Sonoma State first round matchup.
Friday's semifinal game will be played at 8 p.m. at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla.
 
Chico State enters postseason play 18-10 on the season, and thanks to the Wildcats' big road victories last week over Humboldt State and Stanislaus State, finished in fourth place in the CCAA with a 14-8 conference record to secure a first round home tournament game. The 'Cats extended their longest winning streak of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday with a thrilling 70-69 overtime victory in Turlock against Stanislaus State.
 
The Wildcats will face a Cal State East Bay squad that beat Chico State twice during the regular season, but both contests were nail-biters and needed an overtime period to determine the outcome. The Pioneers nipped the 'Cats 63-62 in OT November 23 at Acker Gym, then needed an extra five minutes to down Chico State 71-67 January 30 in Hayward.
 
Cal State East Bay finished the 2019–20 campaign 17-11 overall and in fifth place in the CCAA with a 13-9 conference record. The Pioneers snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday in Southern California, shading host Cal State San Bernardino 73-66 in their final game of the regular season.
 
Statistically speaking, the two teams are very evenly matched. Chico State averaged 65.3 points on offense during the regular season, while giving up 62.9 points a contest on the defensive end. Cal State East Bay scored an average of 68.2 points a game and surrendered 63.1 points a night on defense.
 
The Pioneers have shot better this season than the 'Cats (42.2 percent to 39.1), but Chico State has the edge in long distance shooting, draining 209 3-pointers at a 33.8 percent clip, while East Bay has connected on 178 treys, shooting 30.4 percent from behind the arc.
 
Chico State and East Bay are nearly identical in rebounding—the Wildcats average 35.4 boards a contest, with the Pioneers hauling in an average of 36.8 rebounds a game.
 
Tuesday's contest marks just the second time Chico State and East Bay have gone head-to-head in CCAA Tournament play. The Pioneers were 68-55 winners over the Wildcats in the opening round of the 2016–17 conference tournament.
 
East Bay has dominated the rivalry in recent years, beating Chico State in 11 of the last 14 meetings. The Wildcats hold a 56-23 lead in the all-time series.

CCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
March 3–7, 2020
 
Quarterfinals—Tuesday, March 3 (at campus sites)
No. 1 Cal State San Marcos vs. No. 8 Sonoma State, 5:30 p.m. at San Marcos
No. 2 UC San Diego vs. No. 7 Humboldt State, 5:30 p.m. at La Jolla
No. 3 Cal Poly Pomona vs. No. 6 Stanislaus State, 5:30 p.m. at Pomona
No. 4 Chico State vs. No. 5 Cal State East Bay, 5:30 p.m. at Chico 
 
Semifinals—Friday, March 6 at RIMAC Arena, La Jolla
Winner of No. 2/No. 7 vs. Winner of No. 3/No. 6, 5:30 p.m.
Winner of No. 1/No. 8 vs. Winner of No. 4/No. 5, 8 p.m.
 
Final—Saturday, March 7 at 8 p.m. at RIMAC Arena
Tournament winner earns CCAA's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional March 13–16