SAN BERNARDINO—The Chico State women's basketball team appeared to have things in hand heading into the fourth quarter of Thursday's road tilt against Cal State San Bernardino. The host Coyotes got hot at the right time, however, outscoring the Wildcats 19-4 over the final 7:33 of the contest, and aided by 23 'Cats' turnovers on the night, came from behind to hand Chico State a tough 73-63 loss.
Thursday's loss dropped Chico State to 18-9 on the season and into fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 14-7 conference record. Perhaps more importantly, the Wildcats—which entered play No. 9 in the West Region rankings—suffered a big blow to their chances of earning an NCAA Championship Tournament berth.
With the win, Cal State San Bernardino evened the season series with the 'Cats, improving to 14-13 overall and 9-12 in CCAA play.
Zhane Duckett was one of three Chico State players to score in double figures, posting a team-high 15 points to go along with six assists and three steals. Myli Martinez hit three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, while Makenzi Laporte contributed 10 points to the 'Cats' attack. Haley Ison had nine points and nine rebounds on the night, with Jordan Morris grabbing 12 boards in addition to scoring six points.
The opening quarter was a tightly-played, back-and-forth affair. San Bernardino went up early 9-5, but a three-point play by Duckett and a Brandy Huffhines jumper put the Wildcats in front 10-9. A three-point play by Laporte and a Morgan Mathis layup help the 'Cats maintain their one-point lead, but four Coyotes free throws in the period's final minute put San Bernardino up 18-15 heading into the second quarter.
The game stayed tight in the second period, with the score knotted up on five different occasions. With San Bernardino leading 25-22, the Wildcats surged in front with a Morris layup and a pair of Martinez free throws. The 'Yotes jumped back on top, but Martinez used a 3-pointer to tie things up at 29-apiece. Chico State was held without a field goal for the final four minutes of the quarter, and a mini 6-2 run during that stretch by San Bernardino gave the Coyotes a 35-31 halftime lead.
After Huffhines opened the third quarter scoring with a layup, San Bernardino racked up seven unanswered points to extend its advantage to 42-33. Chico State responded with a 15-3 run—Martinez drained a 3-pointer and two free throws, Ison dropped in a pair of layups, Duckett provided a basket, Laporte hit two foul shots, and Bailey Jones buried a jumper—to put the 'Cats in front 48-45. As the period wound down, Martinez, Duckett, and Laporte delivered buckets to give Chico State a 54-47 lead.
Two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter, Chico State still had control of the contest, leading 59-54. The 'Cats would only score four points the rest of the way, however, and San Bernardino used an 8-2 run to jump in front 62-61. An Ison layup briefly put the Wildcats back on top with 3:20 to play, but the Coyotes proceeded to completely shut down the Chico State offense. San Bernardino scored the final 11 points of the game, and that was more than enough to wrap up the win, downing the Wildcats by a final of 73-63.
Chico State plays its final game of the regular season Saturday, facing the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona (16-9, 13-8 CCAA). Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. at Kellogg Arena in Pomona.
