MONMOUTH, Oregon—For the second straight day, the Chico State women's basketball team struggled to establish a consistent offensive effort, but despite shooting under 30 percent on the afternoon, the Wildcats still came within a whisker Saturday of knocking Saint Martin's out of the ranks of the undefeated. The Saints let an eight-point fourth quarter lead slip away, only to scramble back and score the winning basket with six seconds remaining to hand the 'Cats a heartbreaking 55-54 defeat at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge in Monmouth, Oregon.
The last-second loss dropped Chico State to 3-2 on the season, while Saint Martin's improved to 4-0 overall.
Though Chico State hit just 20 of its 67 field goal attempts and was 5-for-24 from 3-point range, four Wildcats finished the game scoring in double figures. Myli Martinez led the way with 12 points, with Bailey Jones hitting three 3-pointers on the way to an 11 point afternoon. Charity Gallegos tallied 10 points, four assists, and three steals, while Makenzi Laporte contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Haley Ison added four points and eight boards on the day.
The Wildcats got off to a quick start, using 3-pointers by Jones and Martinez to build an 8-2 lead three minutes into the first quarter. Saint Martin's immediately responded with a 12-2 run to jump in front 14-10. Another trey by Jones, a Laporte layup, and a pair of Martinez free throws helped Chico State retake the lead, then after the Saints briefly went back up by one, Ison delivered a layup at the end of the period to give the 'Cats a 19-18 advantage.
Neither team generated much offense in the second quarter, as both the Wildcats and Saints tightened up their defensive efforts. After losing the lead early in the period, Gallegos connected on a jumper and a 3-pointer to put Chico State on top 26-24. Down 27-26, Saint Martin's scored five unanswered points to roar back in front 31-27. Ison hit the lone basket in the final two minutes of the quarter; her low-post jumper making the score 31-29 at halftime.
Points were hard to come by for the Wildcats in the third quarter, as Chico State missed 14 of its 18 field goal attempts, and went 0-for-8 while being held scoreless over the final four-and-a-half minutes of the period. Saint Martin's couldn't capitalize on the 'Cats' cold shooting, though, as the Saints could only connect on one shot over the final 5:39, leaving Chico State trailing 43-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
The 'Cats' shooting woes continued through the first three-plus minutes of the final period, with only a Jones jumper resulting in any points. Saint Martin's established its biggest lead of the game at 47-39 with 6:39 remaining when Chico State's offense finally came alive: Jones drained a 3-pointer, Martinez converted a three-point play, Laporte hit four free throws and Gallegos sank one from the charity stripe; the resulting 11-2 run putting the Wildcats on top 50-49 with four minutes to go. The lead see-sawed back and forth, but with 1:24 left, a Gallegos layup moved Chico State in front 54-53.
The 'Cats had a chance to pad their lead in the final minute but came up empty, giving Saint Martin's the ball with 24 seconds remaining. Claire Dingus proceeded to hit a short jumper to put the Saints ahead, leaving Chico State just five seconds to try to win it in come-from-behind fashion. Following a timeout that brought the ball to midcourt, Ison—who delivered in winning buzzer-beater last week against Dominican—came up short this time, as her baseline jumper bounced off the front of the rim as time ran out, giving Saint Martin's the hard-fought 55-54 victory.
Chico State takes a brief break during Thanksgiving week before returning to play next Saturday in its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) opener. The Wildcats will travel to Turlock to take on Stanislaus State, with tipoff slated for 5:30 p.m.
