To say that the Chico State women's basketball team's offense was cookin' Saturday in its afternoon contest with Stanislaus State is certainly putting it mildly. The Wildcats outscored the Warriors in all four quarters, while posting new team season highs in points, 3-pointers, rebounds, and assists. When the final horn sounded at Acker Gym, the 'Cats walked off the court with their third straight win, downing Stanislaus 85-70.
 
In winning its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) opener, Chico State improved to 4-2 on the season. Stanislaus State saw its record even at 3-3 with the loss.
 
All five Wildcats starters scored in double figures Saturday. Myli Martinez led the way with 16 points, with Jordan Morris adding 15—the top scoring effort of her Chico State career. Brandy Huffines and Zhane Duckett had 11 points apiece, with Duckett notching a team-high six assists. Haley Ison scored 10 points and pulled down a team-best eight rebounds on the afternoon.
 
As a team, Chico State shot 52.7 percent from the field, drained 10 3-pointers, sank 17 free throws, and distributed 18 assists—all single game season highs—while scoring the most points in a game so far in the 2022–23 campaign.
 
The 'Cats came out firing in the first quarter, with a 3-pointer by Huffhines and baskets by Duckett, Morris, and Makenzi Laporte staking Chico State to an 11-7 lead. The Wildcats extended the advantage to six before Stanislaus State tied the score at 15-apiece. Morgan Mathis put the 'Cats back on top with a 3-pointer near the end of the period, giving Chico State a 20-18 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
The Warriors went ahead 26-25 three minutes into the second period, only to see the Wildcats go on an 11-4 run—Martinez and Bailey Jones both nailed 3-pointers, and Jones and Stella Rollo added buckets—to give Chico State a 36-30 lead. Stanislaus scored the final three points of the quarter, and the 'Cats would have to be content with a 36-33 halftime advantage.
 
The Wildcats and Warriors combined for 50 points in a wild third quarter. A Huffhines 3-pointer, a three-point play by Martinez, and baskets by Ison and Huffhines ballooned Chico State's lead to 11 at 46-35, but Stanislaus clawed back to outscore the 'Cats 17-5 over the next four minutes to go up 52-51. Chico State answered by scoring 11 of the period's last 15 points—Mathis and Jones bookending the rally with 3-pointers—and the Wildcats took a 63-56 lead into the fourth quarter.
 
Chico State continued to wield the hot shooting hand in the final 10-minute stanza, connecting on six of 10 of its field goal attempts. Morris kept the 'Cats rolling by hitting a jumper and converting a three-point play, Duckett and Ison nailed jumpers, and Huffhines' third trey of the contest pushed the Wildcats' advantage to 76-66 with 4:51 to play. Chico State's defense then took over, holding Stanislaus scoreless for over three minutes, and the Warriors were unable to whittle the deficit below double digits. With time winding down, Stanislaus was forced to foul, and Martinez and Duckett iced the game by combining to hit six free throws in the final minute, allowing Chico State to cruise to the 85-70 victory.
 
Chico State is back in action next week, playing a pair of CCAA conference contests. Thursday, the Wildcats host Cal State LA, with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, December 3, the 'Cats welcome Cal State San Marcos to Acker Gym, with the game getting underway at 1 p.m.