SAN FRANCISCO—The Chico State women's basketball team, back at full strength for the first time since mid-December, kicked off a four-game road swing Thursday by shaking off a slow start at The Swamp and using a 21-point fourth quarter to return to the win column, handing the host San Francisco State Gators a 63-58 defeat in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference action.
 
With the win, Chico State evened its season record at 6-6 while improving to 3-4 in the CCAA. San Francisco State lost for the sixth time in its last seven games to fall to 5-9 overall and 3-7 in conference play.
 
Charity Gallegos finished the night with three 3-pointers and a team-high 17 points, in addition to doling out five assists. Myli Martinez knocked down a pair of treys on the way to a 12-point, five rebound performance, with Makenzi Laporte adding 10 points and nine rebounds. Haley Ison scored seven points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the victorious 'Cats, which shot 42.1 percent from the field Thursday—the team's best shooting night since beating Holy Names way back on November 16.
 
Both teams started the game hard pressed to generate some offense. Chico State missed seven of its first eight shots—Ison's 3-point jumper the lone Wildcat bucket—as San Francisco State built an early 7-3 lead. The 'Cats finally started to warm up, as treys by Martinez and Morgan Mathis put Chico State in front 9-8, then after the Gators regained the lead, the first quarter ended with Mathis burying a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 14-12 advantage.
 
Two Laporte layups to open the second period put the 'Cats up 18-15, only to see San Francisco State go on a 10-2 run to jump back in front 25-20. Chico State was held scoreless for six minutes before Gallegos hit a 3-ball with 1:40 left in the quarter. A jumper by Jazmyne Lillie tied the game; then late back-to-back buckets by Gallegos and India Starr completed a 9-0 Wildcat run that gave Chico State a 29-25 halftime lead.
 
The 'Cats picked up where they left off to start the third quarter. An Ison jumper and a 3-pointer by Bailey Jones gave Chico State a nine-point advantage at 34-25, but San Francisco State responded with six unanswered points to cut the deficit to three. Three-pointers by Martinez and Gallegos pushed the Wildcats' lead back to seven at 40-33, but the Gators came back once again, finishing the period on a 7-2 run to pull to within 42-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The 'Cats and Gators played it pretty evenly through the first five minutes of the fourth period, but with Chico State up 48-45, Gallegos hit a jumper and combined with Jones for back-to-back 3-pointers to highlight an 8-2 run and extend the Wildcats' lead to 56-47 with 4:20 to play. San Francisco State crept back to within five, but the 'Cats were able to keep the Gators at bay, as clutch baskets down the stretch by Laporte and Gallegos made the score 60-52 with 1:42 remaining. Martinez and Mathis capped things off with three free throws in the final 20 seconds, allowing Chico State to run out the clock and come away with the hard-fought 63-58 victory.  
 
The Wildcats continue stay on the road Saturday, traveling to Seaside to face Cal State Monterey Bay (1-10, 0-7 CCAA). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay has instituted a no-spectators policy for Saturday's game at The Kelp Bed, with no fans being admitted. Fans can still follow the action, with the game broadcast locally on KPAY-AM 1290 and online. A live video broadcast of the game, featuring play-by-play by KPAY's Mike Baca, is available for purchase on the CCAA Network.
 
Links to streaming video, audio and live stats can be found at www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section of the website's homepage, and on the women's basketball schedule page.