ROHNERT PARK—For the better part of four quarters, the Chico State women's basketball team was outplayed in its Saturday afternoon road contest against Sonoma State. But as we all know, a regulation college game takes 40 minutes to complete, allowing the never-say-die Wildcats to literally save their best for last. The 'Cats outscored the Seawolves 16-5 in the final four minutes, and it was just enough to pull out a wild 58-56 win at the Wolves' Den in Rohnert Park.
Chico State, with three victories on its four-game road swing, improved to 8-7 on the season with Saturday's win. The Wildcats also evened their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) record at 5-5 to move into fifth place in the conference standings. Sonoma State slipped to 6-11 overall and 5-6 in CCAA play.
Haley Ison did a lot of the heavy lifting for Chico State, posting season highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds, while connecting for two of the Wildcats' 10 3-pointers on the day. Charity Gallegos buried a trio of treys and scored 10 points—all in the second half—while grabbing five rebounds and doling out four assists.
Makenzi Laporte also corralled five boards for the 'Cats and contributed seven of her nine points in the decisive fourth quarter. Bailey Jones hit a pair of 3-pointers to finish with eight points on the afternoon.
Chico State outrebounded Sonoma State 36-35, and the Wildcats' defense pressured the Seawolves to turn the ball over 16 times.
The opening quarter featured scoring streaks by both teams. After Ison's layup broke the seal, Sonoma State ripped off seven straight points to go up by five. Chico State responded with a scoring streak of its own—Ison bookending a 9-0 run with a jumper and 3-pointer to give the Wildcats an 11-7 lead. The 'Cats were shut out over the final four minutes of the period, and six unanswered Sonoma State points put the Seawolves on top 13-11 heading into the second quarter.
Sonoma State extended its advantage to 20-16 early in the period, but Ison and India Starr combined for all of Chico State's points in a 10-2 run—Starr draining a pair of 3-pointers during the stretch—as the Wildcats streaked to a 26-22 lead. The Seawolves cut the deficit to one with a late three-point play, leaving Chico State on top 26-25 at halftime.
A 3-pointer by Gallegos pushed the Wildcats' lead to 29-25 early in the third quarter. Sonoma State answered with a 7-0 run to jump back on top, and still led 34-31 before Gallegos and Jones hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the 'Cats in front 37-34. The lead didn't last long, however—nine straight points by the Seawolves to close out the period gave Sonoma a 43-37 advantage going into the final 10-minute stanza.
The 'Cats lost ground in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, as the Seawolves extended their lead to 51-42. Laporte got what would turn out to be the winning rally started with 3-pointer and a pair of three throws, then following a Sonoma State basket, Laporte converted a layup and Ison connected on a trey to pull Chico State to within one at 53-52 with 1:01 left to play.
As time wound down, the Wildcats turned in a huge defensive stop, allowing Chico State to call timeout with 29 seconds remaining. Ison's free throw line jumper gave the 'Cats the lead with 17 seconds left, and after a Sonoma timeout, the Seawolves turned the ball over when they failed to inbound the ball within five seconds. Morgan Mathis was immediately fouled, and she coolly sank two free throws to give the Wildcats a 56-53 lead.
A near 3-pointer by Sonoma State's Alli McDonald made it a 56-55 game, and after each team exchanged a free throw, Chico State had possession of the ball with seven seconds remaining. Myli Martinez drew a foul with three seconds left and hit one of her two free throw attempts, and as time ran out, Sonoma's desperation 3-point try was off the mark, giving the Wildcats the nail-biting 58-56 victory.
Chico State returns home next week and will play its next four games at Acker Gym. This Thursday the Wildcats host Cal Poly Pomona, followed by a Saturday matchup against Cal State San Bernardino. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.
