SAN BERNARDINO—The Chico State women's basketball team won its second game of the season on a last-second buzzer beater. Since then, however, the final ticks of the clock have not exactly been the Wildcats' friend. The 'Cats and Cal State San Bernardino locked up Thursday afternoon in Southern California, and for the third straight contest, Chico State fell in a down-to-the-wire nail-biter, as the Coyotes came back from a pair of double-digit deficits to edge the Wildcats 62-59.   
 
Chico State dropped its fourth straight decision to slip to 3-4 on the season and 0-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). With Thursday's win, Cal State San Bernardino improved to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in CCAA play.
 
Jordan Morris recorded the first double-double of her Chico State career, scoring 10 points—all in the second half—and pulling down 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Myli Martinez contributed 10 points and five boards, while Morgan Mathis hit a trio of treys to finish with nine points on the afternoon. Bailey Jones and Makenzi Laporte added seven and six points, respectively, with Haley Ison chipped in with six points and eight rebounds for the 'Cats.
 
Chico State led for the majority of the first quarter, trading baskets with San Bernardino before closing out the period on an 8-1 run. Martinez dropped in a layup, while Mathis and India Starr came off the bench and connected on 3-pointers to give the Wildcats a 19-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
Mathis drained another trey in the opening minute of the second period, extending the 'Cats' advantage to 11, but the Coyotes responded by scored 16 unanswered points to roar out in front 27-22. The Wildcats' offense was held scoreless for nearly seven minutes before Mathis hit another 3-pointer, and Laporte's late layup pulled Chico State to within 29-27 at halftime.
 
San Bernardino opened the scoring in the third quarter with a free throw, only to see the Wildcats' offense come back to life—a 3-pointer by Martinez and baskets by Laporte, Jones, Stella Rollo, and Charity Gallegos highlighted a 13-0 run that put Chico State back in front 40-30. Once again San Bernardino rallied, whittling the deficit to a deuce, but the 'Cats closed out the period with late free throws by Morris and Mikaela Bismillah to give the 'Cats a 47-42 lead.
 
The Coyotes, down 49-44 early in the fourth quarter, reeled off a 10-2 run to grab a 54-51 lead with 5:24 to play. Three Martinez free throws briefly tied the score, but San Bernardino responded with four straight points to go back on top. Chico State answered: a 3-pointer by Jones and a layup by Morris moved the 'Cats back in front, but a layup by the Coyotes' Destiny Jackson gave San Bernardino a 60-59 lead with 1:48 remaining.
 
San Bernardino missed a chance to pad their advantage in the final minute, and with 18 seconds remaining, Chico State had the ball with a chance to take the lead. Gallegos missed a runner in the lane, and with San Bernardino rebounding, the 'Cats were forced to foul. Jackson hit two free throws to put the Coyotes up by three, and a last-second 3-point attempt by Jones to tie the game was off the mark, giving San Bernardino the 62-59 victory.     
 
The Wildcats will stay in Southern California to play their fifth straight road game Saturday, taking on the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona. 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.