Win and we're in. That was the mantra of the Chico State women's basketball team heading into Thursday's showdown with Cal State Dominguez Hills. Needing to win one of their two remaining regular season games to clinch a berth in next week's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament, the 'Cats took care of business—albeit in nail-biting fashion. Charity Gallegos flipped in a layup with 10 seconds remaining, and that would prove to be the difference—and the team's ticket to the postseason—as Chico State topped the visiting Toros 65-64 at Acker Gym.
The Wildcats improved to 13-9 overall with Thursday's win while moving into fourth place in the CCAA standings with a 10-7 conference record. Depending on how they fare in Saturday's season finale against Cal State East Bay, the 'Cats will own either the No. 4 or No. 5 seed when the six top teams in the conference convene in the CCAA Tournament March 4–6 in Arcata.
Chico State has now reached postseason play four times in the last five seasons, and earned a bid to the CCAA Tournament for the 10th time since head coach Brian Fogel took over the program in 2008.
Cal State Dominguez Hills, which had already punched its ticket to the CCAA Tournament, slipped to 12-11 on the season and into fifth place with a 10-8 conference record.
Delivering the winning bucket was one of the many highlights for Gallegos Thursday, as she nailed a career best four 3-pointers on the way to a game-high 18 points. Haley Ison scored 11 points and flirted with breaking the program's single-game rebounding record—one that has stood for over 47 years. Ison grabbed 21 rebounds on the night, falling one shy of Val Ritchie's record 22 boards set on January 18, 1975.
Myli Martinez tallied 10 points and Makenzi Laporte scored eight as the Wildcats won for the eighth time in 10 tries this season in the friendly confines of Acker Gym.
The opening quarter was a low-scoring affair, though Chico State jumped out to a 8-3 lead on the strength of an Ison layup and two 3-pointers by Gallegos. The Wildcats managed just one field goal over the final five minutes of the period, and by the end of the quarter Dominguez Hills had knotted up the score at 10-apiece.
The 'Cats regained the lead in the second quarter, and thanks to four free throws by Martinez and Gallegos draining two field goals and another 3-pointer, pushed their advantage to six at 21-15. The Toros once again answered, and a 13-6 run briefly put Dominguez Hills on top 28-27 before an Ison free throw with 17 seconds remaining in the period sent the teams into the locker room tied at halftime.
Chico State bolted out to a quick start in the third quarter. Ison dropped in a pair of layups, Martinez and Jordan Morris each hit a jumper, and Gallegos connected on another 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 39-32 lead. Dominguez Hills came back with an 11-2 run to jump in front 43-41, but a three-point play by Morgan Mathis, a Laporte layup, and an India Starr 3-pointer put the 'Cats back on top 49-45. The Toros closed out the period by scoring seven of the final nine points to take a 52-51 lead into the fourth quarter.
Dominguez Hills built its biggest lead of the night at 59-53 three minutes into the final 10-minute stanza, only to see it crumble as baskets by Ison, Laporte, and Mathis fueled an 8-0 run to help Chico State retake the lead at 61-59. The Toros grabbed the lead back and were ahead by one with under 30 seconds to play when Gallegos hit the biggest shot of the night, driving down the lane and beating two defenders to the hoop, scoring the basket that put the Wildcats on top with just 10 ticks left on the clock. Dominguez Hills had two chances for some last second heroics on its own, but two desperation shots were off the mark, and Chico State held on for the huge 65-64 victory.
The Wildcats wrap up the regular season Saturday when they host yet another CCAA Tournament qualifier, Cal State East Bay (19-2, 14-1 CCAA). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. It's also Senior Night, as the 'Cats will honor Mikaela Bismillah in a special pre-game ceremony.
Hungry Wildcat Food Pantry Week
It's Chico State Athletics Pack The Pantry Week and we have set a big goal—10,000 items—which would break the record we set last year. We need your help to reach it. You can donate monetarily
HERE and every dollar will count for two items.
You can also drop off a donation at any of Chico State Athletics' 12 basketball, softball, and baseball games this weekend or at the Pantry itself Monday through Friday until 3 p.m., or by calling 530-898-4098 to make arrangements. Thank you for your support of Chico State's students, including student-athletes!
