OAKLAND—The Chico State women's basketball team enjoyed the type of game Tuesday that doesn't come along too often over the course of a long, competitive season. The Wildcats had everything working against Holy Names—their high-flying offense established itself early and often; the defense was near impenetrable, and everyone in uniform saw plenty of playing time. It all added up to an impressive 97-46 win over the host Hawks at Oakland's Tobin Gymnasium.
Tuesday's win moves Chico State to 3-0 on the young season, with Holy Names dropping to 0-3 overall. The 51-point win marks the program's largest margin of victory since the Wildcats beat Western Oregon 100-49 on December 21, 2006.
Myli Martinez led a balanced Wildcats attack, knocking down two 3-pointers to finish with 15 points. Three 'Cats—Bailey Jones, Haley Ison, and India Starr—contributed 12 points apiece, while Jazmyne Lillie, making her Chico State debut, registered a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Charity Gallegos chipped in with 10 points, four assists, and three steals in just 17 minutes of action, with Mikaela Bismillah scoring a career-best nine points and tying her personal single-game high of five assists.
All told, the Wildcats shot 55 percent from the field, knocking down 33 of their 60 field goal attempts. Chico State also collected nine 3-pointers, and shot nearly 85 percent (22-of-26) from the free throw line. The 'Cats outrebounded Holy Names 31-21, grabbed 15 steals, and forced 23 Hawks turnovers.
Chico State came roaring out of the gate, scoring the first 17 points of the opening period. The run was highlighted by 3-pointers from Jones and Martinez, a three-point play from Gallegos, and a pair of Ison layups. The Wildcat defense, meanwhile, was suffocating Holy Names on the other end of the court, holding the Hawks to just one field goal in the entire quarter. A 3-pointer by Morgan Mathis and layups by Bismillah and Makenzi Laporte closed out the period, with the 'Cats sporting a big 30-9 advantage.
The Wildcats kept the pedal to the metal in the second quarter, outscoring Holy Names 22-9. Martinez buried another 3-pointer and five free throws to lead the Chico State offense, with Gallegos, Laporte, Jones, Mathis, and Jordan Morris all contributing buckets to put the 'Cats up 52-18 at intermission.
Chico State continued to pile up the points in the third quarter. Bismillah opened the period with a 3-pointer, and thanks to a treys by Jones and Mathis, a three-point play from Gallegos, and two-point baskets by Martinez, Lillie, Bismillah, Morris, and Starr, the Wildcats upped their lead to 50 points with 2:17 left in the period. Starr capped off the 30-point quarter with a pair of free throws to give the 'Cats an 82-33 lead heading into the final 10-minute stanza.
Though things got a bit sloppy in the fourth quarter—the Wildcats committing six of their 13 total turnovers in the period—Chico State was able to pull in the reins, and on the strength of three Ison layups and a Lillie jumper, the 'Cats grabbed it biggest lead at 91-38 with 4:55 remaining. Starr put a bow on an extremely productive evening by burying a pair of 3-pointers in the final two minutes, and the Wildcats cruised to the finish line with the 97-46 victory.
Chico State stays on the road this weekend with a pair of games in Monmouth, Oregon, the site of the two-day CCAA/GNAC Challenge. Friday at 4:15 p.m. the Wildcats face host Western Oregon, followed by a Saturday matinee at noon against Saint Martin's.
