AZUSA—Play-by-play man Mike Baca said it best on the Wildcats radio broadcast: it may be a November game, but it felt like it was being played in March. The intensity of Saturday's Chico State-Azusa Pacific matchup featured all the earmarks of playoff basketball, and at the end of an epic early-season contest, the 'Cats bested a Cougars team considered by many to be one of the best teams in the West Region. Chico State hit 14 3-pointers in Saturday's Conference Crossover Challenge finale to top the host Cougars 81-74 at the Felix Event Center.
Saturday's win evened Chico State's record at 1-1 on the young season. Azusa Pacific dropped to 1-1 overall.
Joshua Hamilton hit four 3-pointers on the night, scoring a career-high 24 points while dishing out five assists. Brennan Wheeler also knocked down four treys to finish with 15 points, while Jojo Murphy added 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists to the 'Cats' attack.
Chico State fired out of the blocks in the first half, jumping out to a 17-9 lead on the strength of three Isiah Holm baskets and 3-pointers by Hamilton, Justin Vigil, and Max Walters. A three-point play by Wheeler and a Evan Oliver 3-ball upped the Wildcats' advantage to 23-14, but Azusa Pacific grabbed the lead courtesy of a 14-0 run. Another Hamilton 3-pointer and an Oliver layup knotted up the score at 28-all, only to see the Cougars outscore the 'Cats 7-2 over the final two minutes of the period to take a 35-30 halftime lead.
Azusa Pacific scored the first three points of the second half to push its advantage to eight, but Wheeler and Hamilton combined for three straight 3-pointers to kickstart a 20-3 Wildcat run, and before it was over Wheeler and Murphy each knocked down shots from long distance, and with Murphy capping off the run via a three-point play, Chico State was suddenly sitting on a 50-41 lead.
The 'Cats continued to drain 3-pointers, as Hamilton, Murphy, and Miles Daniels all connected from downtown, but Azusa Pacific was able to answer just about every Chico State score, and pulled to within 68-67 with 3:41 remaining. The Wildcats were still nursing a one-point lead when Wheeler buried a crucial 3-pointer with 2:05 remaining in the game. The Cougars cut the deficit to a deuce with a minute to play, but a clutch jumper by Hamilton and two free throws by Daniels in the final 30 seconds officially iced the game for Chico State, as the Wildcats came away with the big 81-74 win.
The Wildcats are back on the road next Wednesday, traveling to the Bay Area to take on Holy Names at Tobin Gymnasium in Oakland. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
