The Chico State women's basketball team suffered its first two defeats of the 2021–22 season last weekend at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge, but the losses did nothing to undercut the Wildcats' confidence. Instead, the 'Cats' reaction has been to work hard this week in practice to smooth out the rough edges in its attack, and come Saturday the Wildcats plan to be operating at peak efficiency when they take on Stanislaus State in their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference opener at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Fans can follow the action locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM Radio, with Mike Baca's broadcast also accessible on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website.
Live Stats and live streaming video are also available online, with links located on the Chico State women's basketball schedule page and home page calendar on the Wildcat Athletics website, at
chicowildcats.com.
Fans planning on attending the game in person will be asked to know and follow Stanislaus State's COVID-19 protocols.
CLICK THIS LINK to access the campus's online COVID-19 Protocols and Resources page, as well as the
Guest/Visitor Daily Screening form, which must be filled out and submitted prior to arriving on campus.
After winning its first three contests, Chico State's season record dipped to 3-2 by falling to Western Oregon 68-60 last Friday, then dropping a heartbreaking 55-54 decision Saturday to Saint Martin's.
While the Wildcats' defense certainly held its own in the two weekend tilts, Chico State had difficulty on the offensive end. The 'Cats shot a combined 28.3 percent from the field, and connected on just 21 percent of their 3-point attempts. The Wildcats are hoping that last weekend was just an aberration, and nothing more than a team-wide shooting slump. Needless to say, those numbers will have to improve for the Wildcats to be a contender in what is guaranteed to be a challenging CCAA conference season.
The 'Cats have shown that when they're finding the bottom of the bucket, they have the weapons to compete with anyone. As a team, Chico State is averaging 71.2 points through the season's first five contests, ranking fourth-best among the 12 CCAA schools. Defensively, the Wildcats own the third-stingiest defense in the conference, holding opponents to just 60.6 points per game. The 'Cats' 85.3 team free throw shooting percentage leads the CCAA.
Individually, Charity Gallegos ranks ninth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 14.6 points a game. The freshman guard leads all conference players in assists (24), is third in assists per game (4.8), and sixth in steals, averaging 2.4 swipes per contest.
Junior guard Bailey Jones (averaging 10.4 points a game) is tied for fourth among conference shooters with 10 3-pointers, while junior wing Myli Martinez (11.6 points per game, eight 3-pointers on the season) is the CCAA's top free throw shooter at 94.1 percent. Freshman forward Makenzi Laporte is among the conference's top 10 in rebounding, averaging 6.6 boards a game.
Stanislaus State enters the week sporting a 3-1 season record. The Warriors, which plays Fresno Pacific Wednesday in their final pre-conference tune-up before taking on the Wildcats Saturday, have won three straight, including two wins over the weekend (65-49 over Holy Names and 74-57 against Academy of Art) during their own Warrior Classic tournament in Turlock.
Stanislaus has nearly identical team statistics as the Wildcats. The Warriors are averaging 70.3 points a game on offense, while defensively have allowed just 60 points per contest.
Stanislaus boasts the CCAA's top scorer in senior forward Kyanna Davis, averaging 20.3 points to go along with 10 rebounds a game. Davis is complemented by senior center Kayleigh Taylor (averaging 11.5 points, 7.3 rebounds a game), and freshmen guards Da'Myiah Lewis (11 points a game), and Liliana Marques (9.8 points a contest).
Chico State and Stanislaus State have met 90 times on the hardwood since 1976, with the Wildcats holding a 57-33 edge in the all-time series. The 'Cats enter Saturday having won four of the last six head-to-head matchups with the Warriors.
