LOS ANGELES—The Chico State women's basketball team was hoping to earn at least a split of this week's Southern California road trip, but with a loss Thursday to Cal State San Marcos and an 81-69 setback Saturday to Cal State LA, the Wildcats fell decidedly short of their goal. Despite the loss to the Golden Eagles, head coach Brian Fogel's squad did receive some good news Saturday—the 'Cats will be playing in the postseason, having officially secured one of the six available berths in next month's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament.
Chico State now stands at 16-8 on the season, occupying fourth place in the CCAA with a 12-6 conference record. Thanks to Cal State East Bay's overtime loss Saturday to Sonoma State and the Wildcats holding the first head-to-head tiebreaker over the Pioneers, Chico State can finish the CCAA regular season no worse than sixth. That means that the 'Cats are assured of heading to the postseason for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
With Saturday's win, Cal State LA improved to 17-6 overall and 14-4 in CCAA play.
Myli Martinez led four Wildcats scoring in double figures Saturday, knocking in four 3-pointers while posting 19 points on the afternoon. Brandy Huffhines added 17 points to the 'Cats' attack, with Zhane Duckett and Makenzi Laporte scoring 12 points apiece. Martinez also led Chico State with five rebounds.
Martinez and Huffhines got the ball rolling by draining 3-pointers early in the first quarter, only to see Cal State LA snap a 6-6 tie by going on a 13-4 run. Huffhines railed another trey and converted a three-point play to keep the 'Cats within hollering distance, as Chico State whittled the deficit to 23-20 at the close of the period.
The Golden Eagles doubled up the Wildcats on the second quarter stat sheet, scoring 22 points and using a 12-2 run to balloon their advantage to 16. Two free throws by Duckett ended the period, with Chico State trailing 45-31 at halftime.
Cal State LA built its lead up to 17 early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats came charging back—3-pointers by Martinez and Laporte and buckets by Duckett and Huffhines fueled a 20-9 Chico State run to make the score 57-51. Thanks to two Laporte free throws to end the period, the 'Cats headed into the fourth quarter trailing only 59-53.
The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas in the final period, with baskets by Martinez, Laporte, Bailey Jones, and Stella Rollo pulling Chico State even at 61-all with 6:48 remaining. Cal State LA responded with a 10-1 run that essentially decided the contest, and with time running out and the 'Cats forced to foul, the Golden Eagles hit six free throws in the final 1:19 to push their advantage back up to double digits. Martinez buried a 3-ball with 49 seconds to go, but it would not enough to keep Cal State LA from topping the Wildcats 81-69.
Chico State returns home to Acker Gym next week for its final two home games of the season. Thursday the Wildcats will host San Francisco State, with Cal State Monterey Bay coming to town on Senior Night Saturday. Both games tip off at 5:30 p.m.
