The opening week of CCAA Conference play was a pair of tough opponents out of the gates for the Chico State men's basketball team, taking on No.4 CSU San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona. 

The nerves were visible early against the Yotes in their 67-70 loss to last year's NCAA DII Final Four contender, but there were glimpses of greatness in the loss. Seniors Joshua Hamilton and Kelvin Wright Jr. battled back despite the Wildcats struggling to score from the field, adding 38 points collectively to their team's total. Wright Jr. was a presence down low, scoring twelve of his points in the paint and blocking three Yotes scoring attempts.

Fould plagued their game with 61 fouls called, thirty-three for the Wildcats alone, forcing players to play conservatively throughout much of the second half. Hamilton was one of those 'Cats to foul out but was solid from the free-throw line, sinking ten of his eleven shots. 

Clawing back from a deficit of eighteen points in the second half, the Wildcats showed clear improvement on both sides of the court in their second game of the week against the Broncos two days later.

Besting the Broncos by ten with a score of 65-55, Chico State scored a 1-1 record in conference play on a better shooting night from the field. Junior Adam Afifi had a career night, scoring 23 points, only missing four attempts from the field all game. 

Miles Daniels came off the bench and posted a 15-point performance, sinking crucial shots from the field to pull away in the second half adding three assists. Evan Oliver subbed in and charged into the Broncos to score 8 points and secure three offensive rebounds.

No. 10 Chico State will travel towards the bay for a Thursday night matchup against the Seawolves, followed by a trip south to San Marcos for their next CCAA Conference games.