The Wildcat faithful in attendance Sunday afternoon at Acker Gym was given plenty to cheer about in the Chico State men's basketball team's final game before the holiday break. After an injury sidelined him for the Wildcats' first nine regular season games, Kelvin Wright Jr. made his long-awaited return to the lineup, and Jojo Murphy led four scorers in double figures as the 'Cats easily took care of business with a 94-53 victory over Pacific Union College.
 
Sunday's win evened Chico State's season record at 5-5 overall, with Pacific Union falling to 1-11.
 
Murphy scored 21 points and hauled in a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Wildcats. Max Walters was sensational off the bench, knocking down four of Chico State's 10 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 14-point performance. Trae Taylor also notched a career high with 11 points, with Josh Hamilton adding a dozen to give the 'Cats their ninth straight win over Pacific Union dating back to 2007.
 
Chico State took command of the contest early, needing less than four minutes to build a 13-2 first half lead on the strength of two field goals and a 3-pointer by Murphy. With the score 26-14, the Wildcats put together a 13-4 run—highlighted by two treys by Walters—to go up 39-18. Pacific Union whittled the deficit to 15, but could not hit a field goal attempt over the last three-and-a-half minutes of the period. With 2:06 left in the half, Wright stepped on to the court for the first time this season, and after being welcomed with a huge cheer from the Acker Gym crowd, knocked down a jumper to contribute to a 7-2 run to close out the period, giving the 'Cats a 46-26 lead at intermission.
 
Pacific Union battled, but was unable to make up any significant ground in the second half. The Pioneers pulled to within 17 at 50-33, only to see Chico State rip off a 26-11 run—Walters delivering a pair of 3-pointers, Taylor converting a three-point play, and Murphy, Hamilton, and Dylan Belquist all adding buckets—to put the 'Cats up 76-44 with 6:25 to play. Three-point plays by Kaleb Carter and Isaiah Holm, plus late 3-pointers by Murphy and Evan Oliver pushed the 'Cats lead to 44, with Chico State ultimately registering the 94-53 victory.
 
The 'Cats take some time off for the holidays before resuming California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play Sunday, January 1 in Turlock against Stanislaus State. The action gets underway at 3 p.m. New Year's Day.