The Chico State women's basketball team put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season Tuesday night at Acker Gym, and it was a victory all 12 Wildcat players contributed to. Everyone on the roster saw some action in the team's final pre-conference contest, and the evenly-spread offense was more than enough to take care of visiting Holy Names, as the 'Cats downed the Hawks 71-52.
Chico State improved its season record to 3-2 with Tuesday's win. Holy Names, a member of the Pacific West Conference, fell to 1-5 overall.
Brandy Huffhines led the Wildcats' balanced scoring attack with 13 points on the night, with Makenzi Laporte adding 10. Morgan Mathis came off the bench to score nine points, while Haley Ison, Zhane Duckett, Myli Martinez, and Bailey Jones contributed eight points apiece. Ison snared a team-high six rebounds, while Duckett dished out a game-high five assists.
The 'Cats wasted little time in gaining the upper hand, using a pair of Martinez 3-pointers and buckets by Duckett and Ison to race out to a 10-2 first quarter lead. Holy Names shaved the deficit to four, but with the score 12-8, Chico State went on an 11-0 run—highlighted by two 3-pointers by Jones and one from Laporte—to push its advantage to 23-8. The Wildcats closed out the period with a Stella Rollo free throw and a fast break layup by Jones, giving Chico State a 27-13 lead.
The offense sputtered a bit in the second quarter, as the Wildcats missed 10 of 14 field goal attempts and all six shots from beyond the 3-point arc. That gave Holy Hames the chance to climb back into the contest, cutting Chico State's lead down to three at 31-28. Huffhines and Laporte delivered late buckets that kept the Hawks at bay, and the 'Cats went into the locker room at halftime up 35-30.
Chico State was able to stretch out its lead in the third period. With the score 38-32, the Wildcats outscored Holy Names 18-9 over the final eight minutes of the quarter. Huffhines kicked off the run with a 3-pointer, with Ison, Mathis, Huffhines, and Jordan Morris also chipping in with two-point baskets to give the 'Cats a 56-41 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats essentially put the game away early in the final 10-minute stanza, as baskets by Mathis, Duckett, and Laporte ballooned Chico State's advantage at 64-42. Mathis kept the lead at 22 with a 3-pointer with six minutes remaining, and late baskets by Jazmine Lillie and Jiana Creswell insured the 'Cats' 71-52 victory and Chico State's first double-digit win of the season.
The Wildcats take a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action Saturday afternoon in the team's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference opener against Stanislaus State. Tipoff at Acker Gym is scheduled for 1 p.m.
