For the past three weeks, the Chico State women's basketball team has been absolutely rolling. Five straight victories have moved the Wildcats from 11th place to third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings, and with four games left in the regular season, the Wildcats have neatly positioned themselves to grab one of the six bids to next month's conference tournament. The 'Cats winning streak will be put to a serious test this week, though, with road games against Cal State LA Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and a 1 p.m. Saturday matinee against CCAA leader Cal State San Marcos.
 
With the exception of four pre-listed guests per home and away players, no fans will be admitted to Thursday's Cal State LA game. Fans planning to attend Saturday afternoon's Cal State San Marcos contest will be required to wear masks at all times in The Sports Center, with capacity limited to the first 300 fans in attendance.
 
CAL STATE LA INDOOR SPECTATOR POLICY
 
CAL STATE SAN MARCOS INDOOR SPECTATOR POLICY
    
Both games will broadcast live locally on AM-1290 KPAY and available online. Fans can also follow on the Internet via Live Stats. Live video broadcasts of the games are available for purchase on the CCAA Network. For $9.95 per month, fans can access every Chico State game—home and away—along with all live and archived CCAA matchups.
 
Links to streaming video, audio and live stats are available at www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section of the website's the homepage, and on the women's basketball schedule page.
 
Chico State closed out a successful 4-0 home stand last week with a pair of impressive double-digit victories, downing Cal State Monterey Bay 76-53 Thursday and San Francisco State 69-52 on Saturday. As a result, the Wildcats begin play 12-7 on the season and 9-5 in the CCAA.
 
Now down the stretch, the going gets tougher. The 'Cats take on a Cal State LA squad that has won two straight and five of its last six to pull into fourth place in the CCAA, just a half-game behind Chico State. Cal State San Marcos, thanks to its current 13-game winning streak, sits comfortably atop the conference standings, has already clinched a CCAA tournament berth, and is currently ranked No. 12 in the latest D2SIDA National Top 25 poll.  
 
The 'Cats head to Southern California sporting a 5-5 road record this season.
 
Thursday's Wildcats-Golden Eagles matchup will be the first time the two teams have squared off this season. Their first scheduled meeting January 15 was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
 
Chico State will be looking to earn a split of its season series with Cal State San Marcos. Back on January 13, the Cougars handed the Wildcats a 76-60 setback at Acker Gym.
 
The Wildcats enter the week ranked fourth in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 68.7 points a game. Defensively, the 'Cats are fifth among the 12 conference teams, giving up 62.6 points per contest. During its just-completed four game home stand, Chico State averaged nearly 74 points a game while holding opponents to under 56 points a contest.
 
Individually, Charity Gallegos is the Wildcats' top scorer, averaging 12.6 points a game (11th in the CCAA), and averages a conference-best 5.5 assists per contest. Bailey Jones (9.8 points a game) and Morgan Mathis (8.3 points per contest) lead the 'Cats in 3-pointers—Jones has hit 43 shots from outside the arc and Mathis has drained 40 treys, ranking sixth and eighth, respectively, among all CCAA players.
 
Cal State LA (10-10 overall, 9-6 CCAA) is third in the conference in scoring (69.7 points a game), but is 10th in team defense, surrendering 66.7 points per contest. The Golden Eagles rank second in the CCAA in rebounding, averaging 42.2 boards a game.
 
Cal State LA is 5-6 this season on its home floor, University Gym.
 
The Golden Eagles are led by two of the top three scorers in the CCAA. Sophomore guard Nicole Flennaugh is second in the conference, averaging 15.8 points a game, and leads the CCAA with 66 3-pointers. Freshman guard Lily Buggs is third in the conference in scoring, averaging 15.7 points a game, and ranks fifth in rebounding (8.7 a game. Junior forward Jada Johnson is No. 1 in the CCAA in rebounding (10.7 a contest) while contributing 8.5 points per game.
 
Chico State has a hefty 38-17 advantage in the all-time series with Cal State LA, but the 'Cats and Golden Eagles have played it pretty even over the last four seasons, splitting their last six meetings.
 
Cal State San Marcos (17-2, 15-1 CCAA) is the top scoring team in the conference, averaging 74.1 points a game, and boasts one of the CCAA's stingiest defenses, surrendering just 59.2 points a contest. The Cougars are the No. 1 shooting team in the conference, connecting on 44 percent of their field goal attempts.
 
Interestingly, both Cal State San Marcos losses this season have come on its home floor. That said, the Cougars are a more-than-respectable 8-2 at The Sports Center in 2021–22.
 
Three of the top eight scorers in the CCAA belong to Cal State San Marcos. Senior guard Akayla Henderson (15.9 points a game) leads the conference, with sophomore forward Jordan Vasquez (14.2 points a game) and junior guard Dynnah Buckner (13.7 points per game) ranking seventh and eighth, respectively. Vasquez is fourth in the conference in rebounding (8.8 a game), while Forrester is second in the CCAA with 55 3-pointers on the season.
 
The Cougars hold a 6-4 lead in the all-time series with the Wildcats, and have won three of the last four matchups against Chico State.