During its four-game winning streak, the Chico State women's basketball team was having no problems generating offense, averaging over 76 points a contest during its last three contests. That impressive production came to a screeching halt—as did the winning streak—Saturday afternoon at Acker Gym, when the Wildcats were held to just 29.6 percent shooting on the way to dropping a 54-41 decision to No. 19 Cal State San Marcos.
Chico State slips to 5-3 on the season and 2-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with Saturday's setback. Cal State San Marcos won its third in a row to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in CCAA conference play.
Zhane Duckett was the lone Wildcat to score in double figures against the Cougars, contributing 10 points and seven rebounds on the afternoon. No other Chico State player scored more than six points against the stingy San Marcos defense. Jordan Morris and Stella Rollo combined for 15 rebounds in the losing effort.
On the strength of a Brandy Huffhines layup and a 3-pointer by Duckett, the 'Cats broke out to a 5-3 lead early in the first quarter. Chico State then went scoreless for over four-and-a-half minutes, as San Carlos tallied 12 unanswered points to go up 15-5. Morris finally ended the Wildcats' scoring drought by making a jumper, but at the end of the period the Cougars claimed a healthy 19-7 lead.
Chico State's defense began to clamp down in the second quarter, and to its credit, gave up only 35 points the rest of the game. The 'Cats' chiseled away at the deficit, with a 3-point play by Duckett, a Myli Martinez 3-pointer, and a trey by Makenzi Laporte pulling Chico State to within six at 22-16. The Wildcats could only score four points over the final five-and-a-half minutes of period, however, allowing San Marcos to regain a double-digit lead. At intermission, the Cougars held a 31-20 advantage.
There wasn't much offense by either team in the third quarter, as Chico State and San Marcos combined to score just 18 points. The Wildcats twice cut the Cougars' lead to nine, but four straight points by San Marcos to close out the period made the score 41-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars built an 18-point lead three minutes into the final 10-minute stanza, and though the Wildcats continued to battle, they weren't able to make much headway. Haley Ison converted a three-point play and both Huffhines and Rollo delivered buckets down the stretch, but it wasn't enough to overcome the double-digit deficit, as San Marcos won the game going away 54-41.
Chico State hits the road next week for a pair of CCAA conference tilts. The Wildcats will be in Arcata Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. contest with Cal Poly Humboldt (3-3, 2-1 CCAA) before heading to Rohnert Park Saturday for a 1 p.m. showdown with Sonoma State (2-6, 0-3 CCAA).
