TURLOCK—In three of its last five games, the fate of the Chico State women's basketball team has come down to the final seconds of play. After a thrilling buzzer-beating win against Dominican November 13, the Wildcats lost a heartbreaker to Simon Fraser on November 20 with just six seconds remaining. In Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference opener against Stanislaus State, the 'Cats were once again denied at the end of regulation, as the Warriors held off a late Chico State charge to edge the Wildcats 68-64 at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock.
Chico State's third straight loss dropped the Wildcats to an even 3-3 on the season. Stanislaus State recorded its fifth win in a row to improve to 5-1 overall.
Bailey Jones was the high scorer Saturday for the 'Cats, dropping in a career-high 15 points. Haley Ison contributed 10 points and six rebounds, with Charity Gallegos racking up nine points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Jordan Morris scored seven points and pulled in a team-high 10 rebounds, while Makenzi Laporte chipped in with six points and eight rebounds on the night.
Kyanna Davis, the CCAA's leading scorer, poured in a career-high 27 points to pace the Stanislaus State attack.
It took the Chico State offense nearly half of the opening quarter to start producing. Fortunately, Stanislaus State was just as cold during the first five minutes of the contest. A Laporte layup got the Wildcats on the board with 5:14 remaining in the period, but a minute later the Warriors were up 7-4. The 'Cats proceeded to outscore Stanislaus 12-7 over the final four minutes of the quarter—Jazmyne Lillie delivered a pair of buckets, with Laporte, Gallegos, and Morris each adding a field goal—and Chico State finished the period with a 16-14 lead.
Bailey Jones opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer and a free throw to extend Chico State's advantage to 20-14. Stanislaus went back in front courtesy of a 9-3 run, but another trey from Jones put the Wildcats back on top 25-23. Thanks to Davis, who scored 10 points in the period, the Warriors stayed closed, and after a Chico State 3-pointer boosted the 'Cats' lead to four, Stanislaus scored three points in the final minute to pull to within 31-30 at halftime.
Stanislaus State carried that momentum into the third quarter, scoring 11 of the first 14 points of the period to grab a 41-34 lead. A three-point play by Morris briefly stemmed the tide, but the Warriors responded with a 10-3 run to extend their advantage to 51-40. Chico State used four Myli Martinez free throws, a 3-pointer by Ison, and a three-point play from Jones to finish the period on a 10-4 run and whittle the deficit to 55-50 heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite the third 3-pointer of the night for Jones, the Wildcats found themselves trailing 61-54 midway through the final period. Chico State was able to crank up the offense and pull to within a deuce—Gallegos and Myli Martinez buried 3-pointers, Gallegos hit a pair of free throws, and Morris sank a jumper to make the score 66-64 with 34 seconds remaining.
Chico State forced a Stanislaus turnover with eight seconds left, and called timeout with four ticks left on the clock. But the Wildcats never got off a shot to potentially tie the game or take the lead. Chico State turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, and watched helplessly as Davis iced the game for Stanislaus with two free throws, giving the Warriors the 68-64 win.
The Wildcats remain on the road next week, taking on Cal State San Bernardino (2-4, 0-1 CCAA) Thursday at 12 noon. Next Saturday, the 'Cats will wrap up its Southern California swing, squaring off against the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona (2-3, 1-0 CCAA). Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.
