The crowd at Acker Gym Saturday afternoon was certainly treated to an entertaining, high-scoring affair between the Chico State and Cal State San Marcos men's basketball teams. The Wildcats delivered a single game season high in points, and it turned out they needed just about every one of them to post a "W." Behind a 30-point performance by Jojo Murphy and a career-high 21 from Evan Oliver, the 'Cats outlasted the visiting Cougars 83-77.
Chico State raised its season record to 3-4 with Saturday's win, improving to 2-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference play. Cal State San Marcos fell to 2-5 overall and 2-1 in CCAA play.
Murphy connected on nine of his 15 field goal attempts and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line to become the first Wildcat to score 30 in a game since Malik Duffy accomplished the feat back on November 30, 2019. Oliver drained four 3-pointers and was 7-for-7 from the charity stripe to post his career-best offensive effort. Justin Vigil also nailed four treys on the afternoon to finish with 15 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.
It took a while for Chico State's offense to heat up, however, as Cal State San Marcos staked itself to an early 14-10 lead. A 10-2 run, fueled by two Miles Daniels baskets and 3-pointers by Oliver and Murphy, pushed the Wildcats out in front 20-16. The Cougars came back to take a 28-25 lead, only to see the 'Cats close out the first half on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a Vigil 3-pointer and a Brennan Wheeler layup. At the end of the period, Chico State led by a score of 34-28.
The scoring ramped up big-time for both teams in the second half. A three-point play by Oliver and baskets from Murphy and Daniels ballooned the 'Cats' advantage to nine, but it didn't take the hot-shooting Cougars long to pull to within two at 43-41. A 10-2 Chico State run gave the Wildcats a 10-point cushion, but it didn't last long, as San Marcos pulled even at 55-all with 9:54 to play.
With Chico State in possession of a one-point lead at 61-60, the 'Cats began to pull away. Vigil bookended a 12-4 run with 3-pointers, and with Daniels, Murphy, and Vigil sandwiching buckets in between, Chico State was suddenly in front 73-64 with 2:27 remaining. The Cougars were forced to play catch-up, but it also forced them to foul down the stretch. With less than a minute left, both Murphy and Oliver hit four straight free throws, and despite a late San Marcos basket, that would be more than enough for the Wildcats to cement the 83-77 victory.
After three straight home games, the Chico State men take to the road next week. The Wildcats go head-to-head with Cal Poly Humboldt (4-4, 3-0 CCAA) in Arcata Thursday at 7:30 p.m., then head to Rohnert Park Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest against Sonoma State (2-7, 1-2 CCAA).
