SAN FRANCISCO—After a disappointing loss to Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday, the Chico State men's basketball team was looking for a solid bounce-back effort Saturday afternoon in San Francisco to even up the first leg of its current four-game road swing. The host Gators, however, had absolutely no interest in helping the Wildcats find their way back into the win column, as San Francisco State used an early 20-0 run to take full command of the contest and hand the 'Cats a 78-63 defeat at The Swamp.
 
Chico State dropped its third straight decision to slip to 8-9 on the season while dropping to sixth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 6-6 conference mark. Suddenly-hot San Francisco State posted its fourth straight victory to move to 9-9 overall and 5-7 in CCAA play.
 
Evan Oliver had 20 points, seven rebounds, and four steals to lead the Wildcat attack Saturday. Kelvin Wright Jr. and Miles Daniels each scored 12 points, while Justin Vigil hit three 3-pointers to finish with 11 points and five rebounds.
 
San Francisco State's Jalen Flanagan led all scorers Saturday with 21 points.
 
The first half started innocently enough, with baskets by Wright Jr. and Vigil opening the Wildcats' scoring. But with the score tied 4-4, San Francisco State proceeded to dominate the next five minutes, tallying 20 points while holding Chico State scoreless over that span. The 'Cats, now down 24-4, kept the Gators from adding to their lead by holding San Francisco State without a point for nearly five minutes. Meanwhile, Wright Jr. hit three field goals, Daniels converted a layup, and Oliver dropped in a pair of free throws to cut the deficit in half. Oliver and Vigil connected for 3-pointers to bring the Wildcats to within nine at 33-24, only to see the Gators score seven unanswered points in the final 1:40 of the period to establish a 42-26 halftime lead.
 
Vigil gave the 'Cats an encouraging start by burying a 3-pointer 40 seconds into the second half, but San Francisco State answered by slowly building its lead up to 18. Once again, however, the Gators went cold offensively, as Chico State held San Francisco State without a field goal for an eight minute stretch. That left the door open for the 'Cats to climb back into the contest—Oliver and Daniels combining for 10 points as Chico State pulled to within eight at 52-44 with 10:38 to play. The Wildcats couldn't keep the momentum going, however, as the Gators responded with a 17-5 run to widen their lead to 69-49 with 5:45 remaining.
 
The 'Cats kept battling—Vigil buried his third trey of the afternoon; Murphy dropped in a pair of layups, and Daniels delivered a layup and a 3-pointer down the stretch—but Chico State could get no closer than 12 the rest of the way. San Francisco State hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to conclude the day's scoring, giving the Gators the 78-63 victory.
 
Chico State has a pair of road games on tap next week. Thursday night the Wildcats will be in Hayward to take on Cal State East Bay (5-13, 3-9 CCAA), then on Saturday afternoon the 'Cats are Southern California bound for a Saturday afternoon tilt against Cal State Dominguez Hills (8-10, 4-8 CCAA).