CARSON—The Chico State men's basketball team is more than happy to rip the January page off the calendar, ball it up, and throw it in the wastebasket. It was a challenging month for the Wildcats, which fell below the .500 mark thanks to a frustrating four-game losing streak. The good news, though, is despite the struggles, the 'Cats wrap up January still very much in the mix for a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament berth. Better yet, Chico State put its four-game skid to an end Saturday with a 62-55 road victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The win moves the Wildcats to 9-10 on the season and evens its CCAA record at 7-7, good for sole possession of fifth place in the conference standings. Cal State Dominguez Hills slipped to 8-12 overall and 4-10 in CCAA play.
Brennan Wheeler led a balanced Chico State scoring attack with 12 points while grabbing five rebounds on the afternoon. Justin Vigil hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points and four boards, while Joshua Hamilton added 11 points and five assists. Miles Daniels and Evan Oliver each had 10 points and five rebounds, with Oliver also grabbing three steals. Kelvin Wright Jr. contributed six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Both teams started slowly on the offensive end, with the Wildcats and Toros each shooting under 30 percent through the first 10 minutes of the first half. With Chico State up 12-7, Daniels knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Wildcats' lead to 19-10. Dominguez Hills crept back to within 21-19, only to see the 'Cats finish the period on a 14-6 run—Vigil connected on a pair of treys and a jumper, and Oliver, Wright Jr., and Trae Taylor dropped in buckets—to give Chico State a 35-25 halftime lead.
A layup by Wright Jr. early in the second half pushed the Wildcats' advantage to a dozen, but Dominguez Hills reeled off a 14-2 run to knot up the contest at 39-all. Chico State went back in front by posting six unanswered points, with Oliver registering two field goals and Wheeler converting in a layup. The Toros pulled to within one at 45-44, only to see the 'Cats rip off a 14-5 run—Wheeler draining a pair of 3-pointers and Hamilton recording three field goals—to give Chico State a double-digit lead with 3:27 to play. Another 3-pointer by Daniels with 1:29 remaining provided the exclamation point for the Wildcats, as they ran out to clock to wrap up the 62-55 victory and complete a regular season series sweep of Dominguez Hills.
Chico State says so long to the road next week, settling into the friendly confines of Acker Gym to begin the month of February by hosting Sonoma State Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Cal Poly Humboldt Saturday at 3 p.m.
