SONOMA—The Chico State men's basketball team has not sustained its early season run of spectacular play. Few teams in the history of the game have been able to avoid the ebbs that always seem to come over the course of a long season. A somewhat lesser version of the level they hope to get back to (and even eclipse) proved to be enough this weekend, however, making it a good weekend indeed. The Wildcats completed a road sweep, gutting out wins against two of their biggest rivals, with a 77-68 win at Sonoma State Saturday afternoon.
Joshua Hamilton scored a game-high 16 points and Kelvin Wright Jr., Kevin Warren, and Malik Duffy scored 14 apiece for the Wildcats. Colby Orr chipped in 10 points off the bench and Isaiah Brooks contributed nine. Duffy also delivered 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, while Wright Jr. grabbed seven boards.
Thanks to the win, and their victory at Cal Poly Humboldt Thursday night, the 13
th-ranked Wildcats are now 13-2 overall and 9-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. They had dropped two of three heading into this week and now hope to be trending in the right direction with eight regular season games remaining (including six at home). Chico State is one of four teams with a legitimate shot at the conference title with a month to play. Cal State San Bernardino leads the way at 10-1, followed by Cal State San Marcos (10-2), Chico State (9-2), and Cal State Monterey Bay (8-3). The Wildcats will face off with each of those teams in the next three weekends.
Sonoma State threatened to severely hamper Chico State's title hopes Saturday, racing to a 30-23 lead behind blistering shooting from beyond the arc. The Seawolves sank five of their first seven 3-point attempts and 8-of-13 in the opening stanza. They led 40-35 at the break.
The Wildcats tightened the screws on the defensive end and Hamilton led the offensive charge with 13 second-half points. The sophomore scored seven points during a 9-3 push midway through the second half that gave Chico State the lead for good. Hamilton's mid-range bucket with 3:47 to play made if a five-point game. Duffy drilled a 3-pointer and buried a mid-range jumper on the Wildcats' next two possessions to push the lead to 10.
Chico State has now won four straight and 14 of its last 17 matchups against the Seawolves. The series, which the Wildcats lead 55-44, was first contested in 1967.
The Wildcats' stretch of six of eight at home to wrap up the regular season begins Thursday night at 7:30 when they host Cal Poly Pomona. A 7:30 showdown with first-place Cal State San Bernardino Saturday night looms. They'll host Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State the following week. An updated announcement regarding Acker Gym attendance policies is expected Monday and will be posted a
www.ChicoWildcats.com.
