HAYWARD—As a two-year member of the Cal State East Bay women's basketball team, Zhane Duckett enjoyed many productive nights at Pioneer Gymnasium. The junior point guard, having transferred to Chico State this season, turned in another yet outstanding performance Thursday in Hayward—but this time, to the detriment of the Pioneers, it came while wearing a Wildcats uniform. Duckett led a huge fourth quarter comeback and hit the game-winning shot in the final seconds to give the 'Cats an exciting 66-64 victory.
Thursday's win—Chico State's fourth straight, matching its longest winning streak of the season—moved the Wildcats to 13-6 overall and into a three-way tie with Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State LA for third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 9-4 conference record. Cal State East Bay lost its third straight decision to slip to 8-9 on the season and 5-8 in CCAA play.
Duckett finished the night with a Wildcat career-high 19 points, while also dishing off five assists and grabbing four steals. Myli Martinez hit a trio of treys on the way to a 13-point night, with Bailey Jones and Brandy Huffhines contributing nine and eight points, respectively. Jordan Morris pulled down 10 rebounds to help the 'Cats complete a regular season series sweep of the Pioneers.
East Bay's Jaela Richardson led all scorers with 21 points.
Cal State East Bay scored the first four points of the game, but a 16-4 Chico State run—highlighted by three Duckett layups, and baskets by Martinez, Haley Ison, and Makenzi Laporte—gave the Wildcats a sizeable 16-8 lead. A Laporte layup and 3-pointers by Jones and Huffhines finished a high-scoring first quarter, with the 'Cats holding a 24-15 advantage.
A 3-pointer by Martinez and buckets by Morris and Jazmyne Lillie early in the second period pushed Chico State's lead to double digits. The Pioneers scored four unanswered points to pull to within six, but the Wildcats answered with a Huffhines trey and Ison jumper to put Chico State up 36-25. The Pioneers continued to battle, using a 6-0 run to close out the quarter, and the 'Cats had to be content with a 36-31 halftime lead.
Duckett dropped in a layup to open the third quarter, only to see East Bay roar out in front 42-40 on the strength of an 11-4 run. Two Duckett free throws briefly knotted the score, but the Pioneers wasted little time building a 53-45 lead. In the final two minutes of the period, Duckett delivered another layup and Martinez connected on a 3-pointer, but the Wildcats still found themselves down 55-50 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Pioneers scored two baskets to open the final period to make it a 59-50 contest. Chico State rallied back, as the Wildcats' employed a zone defense that forced multiple East Bay turnovers and promptly turned them into points on the offensive end—Jones hit a jumper and layup, and Duckett and Laporte knocked down shots to fuel a 10-2 run to pull to within 61-60 with 4:25 to play.
East Bay pushed its lead to 64-60, but a Jones layup and two free throws by Huffhines tied the score with 2:13 remaining. With the contest still knotted up and less than a minute to play, the Wildcats turned the ball over, but the Pioneers were not able to capitalize. Chico State, now with the ball, didn't miss its chance to grab the lead—with 2.4 seconds left, Duckett drove to the basket and arched a shot high off the backboard and through the hoop. East Bay missed a point black layup as time expired, allowing the Wildcats to complete the wild fourth quarter comeback and escape with a nail-biting 66-64 victory.
Chico State concludes its two-week, four-game road trip Saturday afternoon in Southern California, as the Wildcats go head-to-head with CCAA conference leader and nationally-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills (19-0, 13-0 CCAA). Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
