POMONA—Kevin Warren poured in 25 points and the Chico State men's basketball team turned 12 steals and 21 Seattle Pacific turnovers into 35 points in a 70-65 win over the 21^st-ranked Falcons Saturday afternoon in Kellogg Arena on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona. The Wildcats wrapped up an encouraging 2021–22 opening weekend 2-0, having knocked off Azusa Pacific Friday. They'll play their first home game since March 3, 2020, Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Academy of Art.
 
Warren gave Seattle Pacific fits on both ends of the floor, shooting 10-of-13 from the field and swiping four steals. The Wildcats shot 52 percent, including 67 percent inside the arc. Kelvin Wright Jr. made all six of his shots and finished with 13 points. Joshua Hamilton hit 6-of-12 and had 16 points.
 
If Seattle Pacific's players aren't having nightmares about Warren's work, then Hamilton is the next likeliest suspect. His ball pressure forced the Falcons into a number of turnovers and he and Warren hit the key buckets in the game's most decisive stretch.
 
Having fought back after trailing by as many as six in the second half and locked in a 61-all tie, Warren rose to rail a 3-pointer that put Chico State ahead for good, snapping a streak of seven straight missed 3s by the Wildcats. After SPU answered with a two, Hamilton hit a jumper and then scored on a drive in Chico State's next two possessions to stretch the lead to 68-63. Isaiah Brooks fed Wright Jr. for an easy bucket in transition—one of his game high five dimes on the day—to make it a seven-point game with 37 seconds remaining, effectively sealing the deal.
 
Brooks finished with 10 points and he and Kaleb Carter corralled two steals apiece.