The Chico State women's basketball team had its offense clicking through the first three quarters of Friday's CCAA/GNAC Challenge contest with Western Oregon; in fact, the Wildcats hit over 50 percent of their shots and nailed six 3-pointers in the second and third period to build a hefty lead. But in the pivotal fourth quarter, the 'Cats were shooting blanks, which allowed the visiting Wolves to erase a nine-point deficit and hit the game-winner with seven seconds left to post a 66-64 win at Acker Gym.
The loss dropped Chico State to 1-2 on the young season, while Western Oregon improved to 3-0.
Four 'Cats accounted for over 80 percent of the team's scoring. Haley Ison, Bailey Jones, and Zhane Duckett each delivered 14 points on the night, with Brandy Huffhines adding 10. Ison pulled down 16 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season, while Duckett used 10 rebounds to notch her first double-double as a Wildcat. Duckett and Huffhines led Chico State with four assists apiece.
The Wildcats took the early lead in the opening period, jumping in front of Western Oregon 9-5. The Wolves used a 12-4 run to move ahead 17-13, but thanks to a Huffhines layup in the final minute, Western Oregon had to be content with a 17-15 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Chico State scored the first nine points of the second quarter—Huffhines hit a free throw, Ison dropped in a layup and sank a 3-pointer, and Duckett drained one from downtown to give the Wildcats a 24-17 lead. The 'Cats pushed the advantage to eight before Western Oregon tallied five unanswered points to cut the deficit to three, but Ison closed out the period with another 3-ball to give Chico State a 34-28 lead at intermission.
The Wolves came out firing in the third quarter and jumped in front 35-34, but after a Wildcats timeout, Chico State's offense got back on track, with an Ison layup, a Jones 3-pointer, a three-point play by Duckett, and a Makenzi Laporte layup vaulting the 'Cats in front 45-39. Chico State was up three when Jones buried back-to-back treys, and a baseline jumper from Stella Rollo gave the Wildcats a seemingly comfortable 57-48 after three periods.
And then the Chico State offense ground to a halt. The Wildcats missed seven of their first nine shots of the fourth quarter (the exceptions being a Rollo jumper and a 3-pointer by Laporte), allowing Western Oregon to slowly chip away at the deficit, pulling to within one at 62-61 with 2:41 to play. A bucket by Duckett gave the 'Cats a little breathing room, but the Wolves clamped down on defense and did not let Chico State score for the rest of the contest.
In the final minute, Western Oregon's Erika Glenn sank two free throws, and Cali McClave's driving layup with seven seconds left put the Wolves in front 65-64. Chico State had a chance to sink the game-winner, but Duckett's layup attempt as time was running out failed to fall. Western Oregon iced the game with a free throw to come away with the 66-64 victory.
In Friday's first CCAA/GNAC Challenge game at Acker Gym, the Saints of Saint Martin's defeated Sonoma State by a final of 62-49.
Chico State is back in action Saturday, playing the CCAA/GNAC Challenge's early game to kick off the final day of the tournament. The Wildcats will face Saint Martin's, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. The late game will feature Sonoma State taking on Western Oregon at 3 p.m.
Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video on the CCAA Network, with links available on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the women's basketball schedule page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
The Chico State game will also be broadcast locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM and online (links available on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the women's basketball schedule page). Mike Wessels will provide the play-by-play.
