TURLOCK—The third time was indeed the charm for the Chico State men's basketball team, and as a result the Wildcats are still alive and kicking. After losing to San Francisco State twice during the regular season, the 'Cats—the sixth and final seed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament—upended the No. 3 seed Gators 74-71 Thursday afternoon in quarterfinal action at Fitzpatrick Arena in Turlock. With the win, Chico State advances to the tournament semifinals to take on No. 2 Cal State San Marcos Friday at 12 noon.
Fans can follow the action locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM, with Mike Wessels handling the play-by-play; the broadcast will also simulcast on the Internet. Live Stats and live streaming video are also available online, with links located on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the men's basketball schedule page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
Thursday's win moved Chico State to 13-15 overall, while ending San Francisco State's season. The Gators finish with a 16-13 record.
The Wildcats combined one of their best defensive efforts of the season with some clutch buckets and free throws down the stretch, delivered primarily by two members of Chico State's 2021–22 NCAA West Region championship team. Evan Oliver and Joshua Hamilton scored the Wildcats' last 10 points to secure the victory and move a step closer to winning the CCAA Tournament championship, and with it the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Oliver finished the day with 20 points, while Hamilton added 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Jojo Murphy also scored in double figures with 11 points, with Justin Vigil and Miles Daniels contributing eight points apiece. Kelvin Wright Jr. scored six points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for the victorious 'Cats.
San Francisco State broke out to a 15-12 lead in the first half, but Chico State used a 13-4 run—highlighted by 3-pointers from Daniels and Vigil—to jump in front 25-19. The 'Cats stretched their lead to eight courtesy of two Oliver field goals and a three-point play by Brennan Wheeler, only to see the Gators close out the period by scoring eight of the final 10 points to pull to within a deuce at halftime, 34-32.
Chico State came out firing in the second half, and thanks to a 13-5 run—Hamilton and Murphy nailing 3-pointers, and Vigil and Trae Taylor each dropping in a layup—the Wildcats extended their advantage to 47-37. San Francisco State was able to pull to within four, but the 'Cats kept the Gators at arm's length as Oliver tallied six points and Murphy and Wright Jr. each collected a bucket to make the score 57-50 with eight minutes remaining.
Once again San Francisco State battled back, cutting the deficit to three. With the score 57-54, Vigil buried a huge 3-pointer for the 'Cats, and Murphy netted a layup to give Chico State an eight-point cushion. The Gators closed to within 62-59 with 3:09 left to play, but the Wildcats answered with a Wright layup and a Hamilton free throw to extend Chico State's lead to 65-59.
With 1:05 left, the 'Cats' advantage had dwindled to 65-63, but a clutch 3-pointer by Ham made it a five-point game with 40 seconds to go. San Francisco State stayed close, but with time running out, the Gators were forced to foul. Ham hit a pair of free throws and Oliver connected on four shots from the charity stripe in the final 17 seconds, and it would prove to be enough to seal the deal, as Chico State posted the 74-71 victory.
Cal State San Marcos, the CCAA Tournament's No. 2 seed, earned a first round bye and will play its first game of the tourney when it takes on the Wildcats Friday afternoon. The Cougars, ranked seventh in the latest NCAA West Region poll, sported an 18-9 record during the regular season.
San Marcos and Chico State split their two-game regular season series, with the 'Cats beating the Cougars 83-77 December 3, 2022 at Acker Gym. San Marcos returned the favor on its home floor, besting the Wildcats 61-51 on February 9.
