Only newbies and casual fans looked past Thursday night's Chico State-Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball matchup and ahead to Saturday's showdown between two of the nation's top-10 teams. When Cal Poly Pomona comes to town, it always takes on the atmosphere of a title fight. Thursday was no exception as the teams traded blows throughout a raucous second half before the Broncos grabbed the game's first double-digit lead late and then held on for a 71-67 win at Acker Gymnasium.
Chico State got 18 points apiece from Isaiah Brooks and Malik Duffy (who also had 10 rebounds). Duffy's 30-foot three with 35 seconds left capped a 9-0 run and trimmed the lead to one, but another contested try from deep was wide on the Wildcats' next possession and the Broncos' BJ Standley made 1-of-2 free throws to seal the win.
Tenth-ranked Chico State slipped to 13-3 overall and 9-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with their third loss in the last six games. The Wildcats will head into Saturday's game against Cal Poly Pomona two games behind the first-place Coyotes (ranked No. 3 in the nation) in the loss column. Cal Poly Pomona, ranked among the nation's top 25 earlier this season, improved to 8-7 overall and 4-7 in the CCAA.
Chico State was ice cold in the first half, missing 21-of-30 shots, including 11 of 14 from beyond the arc, but trailed just 27-23 at the break. A defensive struggled turned into a back-and-forth offensive affair in the second half. Duffy and Brooks scored 14 points apiece after the break. Brooks bagged 4-of-7 threes and Duffy drilled 3-of-5.
They each knotted the score with threes early in the second half before a Kevin Warren triple finally gave the Wildcats their first lead of the second half with 14:53 to play. That was the first of six times the lead changed hands in the second stanza before Pomona took over for good and then used a 7-0 push to go ahead 68-58 with just 3:49 to play.
The Wildcats scored the game's next nine points—a long jumper from Brooks, Warren's free throw, and threes from Brooks and Duffy—to close the gap to 68-67 with 35 seconds remaining. But the Broncos closed the door with a pair of free throws and big defensive stop.
Saturday night's game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. Fans planning to attend should first read the Acker Gym Ticket Information and Venue Policy information. Attendance will be capped at 750 and all in attendance must abide by all campus safety protocols and vaccination requirements found therein. For ticketing questions or refunds, please contact University Box Office: 530-898-6333.
