The Chico State men's basketball team—winners of three straight and one of the hottest teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)—taking on conference-leading Cal State San Bernardino Saturday afternoon at Acker Gym. It was a matchup that had the potential to be a classic—and for 55 grueling minutes, the game lived up its promise…and then some. The Wildcats and Coyotes slugged it out over 40 minutes of regulation and three overtime periods before finally determining a winner, and it was the visiting Coyotes that came away with a 109-105 victory.
Chico State dipped to 8-7 on the season with Saturday's heartbreaking loss, while also falling to fifth place in the CCAA standings with a 6-4 conference mark. Cal State San Bernardino improved to 12-2 overall and 7-1 in CCAA play.
Kelvin Wright Jr. not only posted a double-double for the Wildcats Saturday, he obliterated his existing career scoring high, hitting 15 of 20 shots to finish with 36 points while snaring 10 rebounds. Jojo Murphy tallied 21 points in the first half and scored a season-high 33—the fifth time this season that the true freshman has scored 30 or more in a game. Evan Oliver contributed 15 points to the 'Cats attack in the program's first triple-overtime game since January 16, 2015.
Cal State San Bernardino's Brandon Knapper led all scorers with 37 points.
Though their largest lead was just six points, the Coyotes were on top for the first nine-and-a-half minutes of the first half. A Murphy 3-pointer gave Chico State its first lead of the afternoon at 18-16, and thanks to three field goals by Wright Jr., two by Oliver, and another trey by Murphy, the Wildcats stretched their advantage to 29-22. The 'Cats were still up seven when San Bernardino came back to knot up the contest at 34-all. A layup by Wright and a 3-pointer made my Murphy just before the halftime buzzer gave Chico State a 39-36 lead at intermission.
The 'Cats saw a five-point lead evaporate early in the second half, as the 'Yotes used a 7-0 run to jump on top 44-42. Chico State stayed close, but five unanswered points by San Bernardino gave the Coyotes a 61-54 lead midway through the period. The Wildcats answered with a run of their own—Oliver delivered a pair of layups, Miles Daniels hit a short jumper, and Murphy once again connected from downtown to vault Chico State back on top 63-62.
With the 'Cats down 68-67, Chico State made hay at the free throw line, with Murphy, Daniels, and Brennan Wheeler all knocking down foul shots, and a jumper by Murphy put Chico State back in the lead 74-68 with 4:27 remaining. San Bernardino chipped away at the deficit, and eventually went in front 79-78. A three-point play by Wright Jr. put the Wildcats back in the lead with 1:25 left in regulation, but two late free throws by the Coyotes tied things up at 81-81, sending the game into overtime.
Chico State raced out to an 88-83 lead in the first OT on the strength of buckets by Oliver, Wheeler, and Murphy. But once again the Coyotes clawed back, registering a field goal and three free throws in the final 1:29 to knot up the contest at 88-all and forcing a second overtime period.
The Wildcats again established a lead as Oliver connected for a 3-pointer and Wright Jr. dropped in a pair of layups. San Bernardino scored five straight points to go up 97-96, and after Trae Taylor tied the game with a free throw, the Coyotes converted a layup to jump in front 99-97. Wright pulled the 'Cats even with a jump shot in the paint with just 19 seconds left, sending the game into a third overtime with the score all even at 99-99.
Two free throws by Wright Jr. in the first minute of OT number three gave Chico State what turned out to be its last lead of the afternoon. A 6-0 mini-run by San Bernardino put the Coyotes back in front, but a dunk by Trae Taylor and two more foul shots by Wright Jr. made it a 107-105 game with 32 seconds remaining. The Wildcats were forced to foul, and San Bernardino's Dontrell Shuler made two clutch free throws to finally put the game out of reach, allowing the Coyotes to secure the 109-105 victory.
The Wildcats play their next four games on the road. This coming week, Chico State will go up against Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday at 7:30 p.m., then travel to the heart of the Bay Area Saturday to face San Francisco State at 3 p.m.
