It would be easy for the Chico State men's basketball team to dwell on last Saturday's triple overtime loss to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)-leading Cal State San Bernardino. The Wildcats, however, have put that disappointing result far into the rearview mirror, and are squarely focused on the task at hand—piling up some wins away from the friendly confines of Acker Gym. The 'Cats play their next four games on the road, beginning Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against Cal State Monterey Bay and Saturday at 3 p.m. versus San Francisco State.
 
Fans can follow the action of both games locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM, with Mike Baca's broadcast simulcast on the Internet. Live Stats and live streaming video are also available online, with links located on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the men's basketball schedule page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
 
The Wildcats enter the week 8-7 on the season and occupying fifth place in the CCAA with a 5-4 conference record. Chico State won three of four on its just-completed two-week home stand, with the one blemish coming Saturday as San Bernardino needed three extra periods to finally defeat the 'Cats 109-105.
 
Chico State ranks third in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 77 points a game, while on the defensive end have surrendered 75 points a contest. With 130 3-pointers on the season, the Wildcats trail only Cal State LA among the 12 conference teams.
 
Jojo Murphy continues to put up impressive numbers for the 'Cats. The freshman guard is third in the CCAA in scoring, averaging 20.1 points a game, while ranking third in free throw percentage (81.0 percent), sixth in 3-pointers (36), second in 3-point shooting percentage (43.4 percent), and seventh in field goal percentage (47.2 percent).
 
Chico State begins the four-game road stretch with a 2-5 record away from Acker Gym this season.
 
Joshua Hamilton and Evan Oliver are averaging 11.9 and 10.5 points per game, respectively, with the duo combining for 43 3-pointers. Kelvin Wright Jr., coming off a double-double performance Saturday that featured a career-high 36 points, is averaging 12.8 points and seven rebounds a game.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay, which hosts the 'Cats Thursday, is 4-10 overall and in 11th place in the CCAA with a 2-7 conference record. After dropping a 74-65 decision Thursday to Cal State Dominguez Hills, the Otters snapped a four-game losing streak Saturday with a 70-67 road victory over Cal State East Bay.
 
Monterey Bay is averaging 71.1 points a game on offense, while allowing opponents to score an average of 74.9 points a contest. The Otters like to shoot from long distance, as evidenced by their combined 122 3-pointers.
 
Monterey Bay is 2-5 this season on its home floor, The Kelp Bed.
 
The Otters boast four double-digit scorers in their lineup. Senior forward Joe Wall has connected for a CCAA-best 52 3-pointers, and his 14.3 points per game average ranks 10th in the CCAA. Wall is also Monterey Bay's top rebounder, averaging 6.1 boards a contest.
 
Senior guard Levi Frankland (13.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Archie Jordan (11.9 ppg) have combined for another 46 treys, while sophomore guard Jailen Nelson rounds out the Otters' high-scoring quartet, averaging 10.9 points a game.
 
Monterey Bay was victorious in the only meeting with Chico State last season, but the Wildcats have prevailed in nine of the last 11 matchups. Since 1987, the 'Cats hold a 19-11 lead between the two teams.
 
San Francisco State, which takes on the Wildcats following a Thursday night home tilt against Stanislaus State, is 7-9 on the season and in 10th place in the CCAA with a 3-7 conference record. After dropping seven of their last eight games, the Gators posted a pair of wins last week, beating Cal State East Bay 53-49 and Cal State Dominguez Hills 78-75 in overtime.
 
At home this season, San Francisco State is 3-4 entering the week.
 
The Gators' offense is averaging 69.8 points a game, but on the defensive end has surrendered 72.9 points a contest. San Francisco State is tough on the boards, however, ranking second among all CCAA teams with an average of nearly 40 rebounds a game.
 
Junior forwards Eche Okeke and Jonah Roth are tied for the team lead in scoring, with both San Francisco State players averaging 12.1 points a game. Okeke pulls down a team-high 6.1 rebounds a game, while Roth is the Gators' top 3-point shooter, with 30 treys on the season.
 
Chico State won a pair of tightly-played contests with San Francisco State last season, and have taken the last four meetings with the Gators. Since 1987, the Wildcats hold a 47-26 series edge.