Following two straight weeks on the road, it was high time for the Chico State men's basketball team to return home for its next round of hoop action. For the next two contests, the Wildcats now get to set up shop where they've done their best work this season—the friendly confines of Acker Gym. The 'Cats continue a challenging California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference schedule this week as they host Sonoma State Thursday at 7:30 p.m., followed by a showdown with Cal Poly Humboldt Saturday at 3 p.m.
Fans unable to attend in person can follow the action of both games locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM, with Mike Wessel'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.
Chico State enters the week 9-10 on the season and in sole possession of fifth place in the CCAA with a 7-7 conference record. The Wildcats wrapped up a 1-3 road swing with a 62-55 win last Saturday over Cal State Dominguez Hills, snapping a four-game losing skid.
The 'Cats have a chance to sweep the regular season series with Cal Poly Humboldt, which fell to Chico State 116-112 in overtime December 8 in Arcata. The Wildcats will need a win Thursday to knot up the season series with Sonoma State, which handed Chico State a 78-69 loss December 10 in Rohnert Park.
Chico State has proven tough to beat at home this season, with the Wildcats winning six of their eight decisions at Acker Gym.
The 'Cats are among the conference leaders in scoring, ranking third in the 12-team CCAA with a 74.5 points per game average. The Wildcats are third in the conference in 3-pointers (160) and fourth in free throw shooting percentage (68.7 percent). Defensively, Chico State has surrendered 74.8 points a contest.
Chico State boasts four double-digit scorers heading into this week's action. Jojo Murphy is currently fifth in the CCAA, averaging 17.3 points a game, while ranking second in 3-point shooting percentage (.419) and eighth in 3-pointers (39). Kelvin Wright Jr. and Evan Oliver are each averaging 11.5 points a game, with Joshua Hamilton adding 11.0 points to the 'Cats' attack. Oliver and Hamilton have combined for 53 3-pointers on the season; Oliver is tied for the conference lead with 40 steals, and Hamilton is seventh in the CCAA with 71 assists.
Justin Vigil (8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds a game) has connected for 24 treys, while Brennan Wheeler (8.0 ppg) has 23 3-pointers to his credit.
Sonoma State, the Wildcats' Thursday night opponent, is 9-11 on the season but is tied for third place in the CCAA standings with an 8-6 conference record, one game ahead of Chico State. The Seawolves snapped a three-game losing streak in their last contest, a 69-60 victory last Saturday over San Francisco State.
Sonoma State is 3-6 on the road so far this season.
The Seawolves' offense averages an even 70 points a game, and ranks fourth in the CCAA in team defense, surrendering 70.8 points a contest. Sonoma doesn't shoot a ton of 3-pointers (just 104 on the season), but is the conference's top free throw shooting team, averaging 75.2 percent from the foul line.
Chico State will need to make a point of stopping sophomore forward Jaylen Wells, whose 22.5 points per game average is tops among CCAA players. Wells is also second in the conference in rebounding (8.3 boards a contest) while leading Sonoma with 30 3-pointers. Junior guard Austin Fadal contributes 13.2 points per game, with senior forward Nick Klarman (9.6 ppg) adding 20 3-pointers to the Seawolves' arsenal.
Since 1987, Chico State and Sonoma State have played it dead even, with each team beating the other 35 times.
Cal Poly Humboldt, which comes to town following a Thursday night contest in Turlock against Stanislaus State, enters the week 10-10 overall and owning a share of third place in the CCAA with an 8-6 conference record. The Lumberjacks have dropped four of their last five decisions, but earned a split last week with a win over San Francisco State Thursday and a tough 82-80 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday.
Humboldt is 6-7 playing away from its home floor, Lumberjack Arena.
The 'Jacks are a prolific scoring team, ranking second in the CCAA with an 80.1 points per game average, second in 3-pointers (171), and third in free throw shooting percentage (71.7 percent). Humboldt isn't nearly as successful on the defensive end, though, giving up a conference-worst 79.0 points per contest.
Like the Wildcats, the Lumberjacks have four players averaging at least 10 points a game. Senior guard Marlon Ruffin (17.6 ppg, 32 3-pointers) ranks fourth in the CCAA, with junior guard Malek Davis (11.4 ppg, 33 3-pointers, 74 assists), sophomore center Cam Timmons (10.8 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds), and senior guard Ian Krishman (10.5 ppg, 39 3-pointers) also key components to the Humboldt offense.
The Wildcats have won 12 of the last 13 contests with the Lumberjacks, and since 1987 hold a 34-32 edge in head-to-head matchups with Humboldt.
