With the regular season starting to head to the finish line and several CCAA Tournament berths still to be determined, Saturday afternoon's Chico State-Cal Poly Humboldt men's basketball game is one that the Wildcats will no doubt look back upon as a major missed opportunity. The 'Cats were hitting on all cylinders while building a 13-point lead early in the second half, but when the Lumberjacks presented a challenge late in the contest, Chico State was unable to deliver in crunch time. The Wildcats were outscored 44-27 over the final 18 minutes of play, allowing Humboldt to come all the way back and post a 71-67 victory at Acker Gym.
Saturday's setback stopped Chico State's modest two-game winning streak as the Wildcats dipped to 10-11 on the season and into fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with an 8-8 conference record. Cal Poly Humboldt evened its overall record at 11-11 while moving into a tie for third place in the CCAA with a 9-7 conference mark.
Kelvin Wright Jr. led the Wildcats' offense with 18 points on the afternoon, while Evan Oliver contributed 17 points to the 'Cats' attack. Jojo Murphy added nine points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Miles Daniels grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
Both teams were slow out of the blocks in the first half, with Humboldt sporting a 12-8 lead seven minutes into the contest. An 18-4 Chico State run, fueled by four baskets by Oliver and two by Isaiah Holm, put the Wildcats in front 26-16. The 'Cats used buckets by Oliver and Joshua Hamilton to push the advantage to 11, but a 7-2 mini-run by Humboldt to finish out the half left Chico State with a 33-27 lead at intermission.
The Wildcats came out firing in the second half, with Justin Vigil draining a 3-pointer and Wright Jr. converting a layup. Two Vigil free throws ballooned Chico State's advantage to 13 at 40-27, but the Lumberjacks methodically took consistent bites out of the 'Cats' lead, pulling to within a deuce at 43-41. A 3-pointer by Wheeler made it a five-point game, but Humboldt stayed on the attack, using a 9-2 run to vault on top 50-48 with 10:19 to play.
The Lumberjacks led 57-53 when Chico State produced what would turn out to be its last significant offensive surge—Murphy connected on a 3-pointer, Wright Jr. hit a jumper and dropped in a layup, and Murphy flipped in a layup to put the Wildcats up 62-60 with 3:58 remaining. Humboldt answered by scoring seven unanswered points to take a 67-62 lead with 1:12 left to play, but an Oliver free throw and Murphy layup made it a two-point game with 22 seconds on the clock. After Malek Davis of the Lumberjacks hit a pair of foul shots, Wright Jr. tossed in a layup to keep the 'Cats close, but with only a handful of seconds left, Davis hit two more free throws to seal Chico State's fate, giving Cal Poly Humboldt the hard-fought 71-67 win.
The Wildcats hit the road next week, traveling to Southern California to take on Cal State San Marcos (13-8, 12-4 CCAA) Thursday night and Cal State LA (9-13, 6-10 CCAA) Saturday afternoon.
