After months of practice and game competition, the Chico State women's basketball team is no doubt ready for a little holiday break. Before that happens, though, the Wildcats take a break from California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play with a non-conference contest Sunday afternoon with the program's first-ever clash with Pacific Union College. Tipoff at Acker Gym is set for 1 pm.
Fans can follow the action locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM, with Mike Baca and Mike Wessel's broadcast simulcast on the Internet. Live Stats and live streaming video are also available online, with links located 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 Wildcats enter their last game of the 2022 calendar year with an overall record of 6-4 and are tied for fifth place in the CCAA with a 3-2 conference mark. Chico State earned a split of a tough two-game road trip last week, knocking off Cal Poly Humboldt 75-63 Thursday in Arcata before dropping a 70-69 heartbreaker Saturday against Sonoma State.
The 'Cats are in the middle of the CCAA pack in team scoring, averaging 65.5 points a game. Chico State ranks seventh in defense, allowing 61.8 points a contest.
Brandy Huffhines is the Wildcats' leading scorer and ranks 13th in the CCAA, averaging 12.6 points a game. The junior guard's 16 3-pointers is tied with Myli Martinez (averaging 9.2 points a game) for the team lead.
Haley Ison is averaging 11 points a game and is sixth among all CCAA players in rebounding, pulling down 7.5 boards per contest. Zhane Duckett ranks fourth in conference with 35 assists, and leads the team with 12 steals on the season.
Pacific Union College, a member of the NAIA's Cal Pac Conference, is still looking for its first win heading into Sunday's game with the 'Cats. The Pioneers are 0-11 overall, and 0-4 in conference play. Pacific Union came just short of notching that first "W" last Thursday, letting a five point lead with 1:48 left to play get away and dropping an 87-86 decision to Cal Maritime.
The Pioneers have been challenged offensively so far this season, scoring an average of just 43.8 points a game, while surrendering 86.4 points per contest.
Junior guard Chelsea Shirley is Pacific Union's leading scorer, averaging 8.9 points a game, with senior guard Samantha Foong contributing 7.3 points a contest. Lizette Moreno has played just one game this season, but it was a biggie—the senior point guard scored 29 points in last week's loss to Cal Maritime.
