SAN BERNARDINO—Having taken nationally-ranked Cal State San Bernardino to triple overtime five weeks ago, the Chico State men's basketball team knew it had more than a fighter's chance of stealing a victory on the home court of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season champion. The end result, though, wasn't exactly what the Wildcats had in mind. Hoping to bolster their chances of earning one of the four remaining conference tournament berths, the 'Cats were forced to play catch-up the entire evening, dropping a 99-78 decision to the host Coyotes.
With the loss, Chico State falls to 11-15 on the season and into a tie with Cal Poly Pomona for seventh place in the CCAA with a 9-12 conference record. San Francisco State and Sonoma State clinched CCAA Tournament berths with wins on Thursday, so only two conference tourney spots remain. The Wildcats will need to beat the Broncos Saturday in the final regular game of the regular season, and hope that either (or both) Humboldt State or Cal State East Bay lose their season finales to have any chance of reaching the postseason.
Miles Daniels led the Wildcats with 15 points on the night while grabbing six rebounds and doling out a season-high six assists. Evan Oliver added 13 points and six assists, with Brennan Wheeler scoring 10 for the 'Cats. Kelvin Wright Jr. pulled down a team-high seven rebounds on the night.
Cal State San Bernardino roared out to a 9-0 lead before Wright Jr. finally got the Wildcats on the board with a layup three minutes into the contest. A 3-pointer by Daniels and two Wheeler layups brought Chico State to within 15-9, only to see the Coyotes go on an 18-10 run to extend their advantage to 33-19. Though their shots weren't dropping, the 'Cats hung around, but San Bernardino was able to maintain its double-digit lead to the end of the period. Joshua Hamilton scored eight points while Oliver and Justin Vigil dropped in layups in the last six minutes of the period, but the 'Yotes still went into the locker room with a 46-34 halftime lead.
Things didn't get any better for the Wildcats in the second half. A 3-pointer by Daniels early in the period whittled the deficit to 10, but a 20-7 San Bernardino run made the score 67-44 and essentially put the game away. Chico State continued to battle, but was unable to make up any real ground. Daniels hit another 3-pointer along with a jumper, Oliver added a bucket and four free throws, and Vigil drained a trey and a jumper, but the closest the 'Cats could get was 19 at 85-66 with 5:27 to play. A huge Chico State comeback would not be in the cards, as the Coyotes ran out the clock and rolled to the 99-78 victory.
The Wildcats square off with Cal Poly Pomona with a CCAA Tournament berth possibly on the line for both teams. Tipoff at Kellogg Arena is slated for 3 p.m.
