The Chico State men's basketball team took its first lead exactly 40 minutes and 30 seconds into the game—in overtime—when Isaiah Brooks pounced on a loose ball and slipped a twisting layup over a pursuing defender, off the glass, and in. Nothing came easy for the Wildcats Saturday night against visiting San Francisco State, but they found a way to win, 82-79. Joshua Hamilton hit a long jumper (His toe was on the 3-point line.) with three seconds left in regulation to tie the game for the first time since 0-0. Colby Orr scored what proved to be the game winner with 49 seconds left: a left-handed flip shot over a defender and high off the glass. Kevin Warren sealed the win with help defense on the other end, blocking the potential game tying shot.
 
Orr finished with 20 points and Hamilton had 13, all in the second half. Warren had 13 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, and four assists. Malik Duffy had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Brooks had 11 points, and his assist on Orr's game-tying overtime bucket was the 300^th helper of his career, tying him with Jalen McFerren for fifth on the program's all-time list.
 
The Wildcats improved to 15-3 overall and 11-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). They remain tied for second in the conference standings with four scheduled games remaining in the regular season, one game behind conference leader Cal State San Bernardino. San Francisco State's three-game winning streak was snapped. The Gators slipped to 11-12 overall and 8-8 in the CCAA.
 
Chico State fell behind 30 seconds into the game and trailed by as many as 11 in the first half. Down seven at the half, the Wildcats deficit hovered between three and 10 points until a Hamilton triple trimmed the lead to two with 6:04 to play. They could not get closer until Orr scored on a drive with 1:04 left to cut the lead to one.
 
After a Gators free throw, Hamilton hit the night's biggest shot to tie it.
 
Despite grabbing the early edge in overtime, the Wildcats needed three more big makes to put the game away. A Brooks 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining gave them a 1-point lead. The Orr basket Brooks assisted on knotted the score at 79 with 1:17 remaining. And then Orr hit the game winner 30 seconds later. Read Full Article