CHICO, Calif. - Thursday night was an incredible return to Art Acker Gym after their brief yet successful stint in the Bay Area as the Wildcats breeze by Stanislaus State 84-56. Impressive shooting and crucial buckets from the free-throw line helped inch the lead even further, Evan Oliver scoring a season-high 25 points with ten coming from the line.

With the Thursday night victory in front of the home crowd, No.15 Chico State men's basketball extends their streak to five wins in a row while jumping into a three-way tie for second place in the CCAA standings. After four crucial wins in the past two weeks, they improve to 11-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

The Wildcats jumped to a commanding thirteen-point lead within the opening ten minutes of the game, which they would maintain throughout the entire contest. 

Impressively, Chico State turned over the ball only nine times will forcing the Warriors to give over the ball eighteen times, with seven different players recording a steal. 

Sophomore Miles Daniels helped lead the charged lead, scoring five early points alongside Adam Afifi, who added five of his own early into the half. 

Throughout the contest against the Warriors, Daniels took any opportunity to drive the ball under the basket without hesitation, shooting 50 percent from the field and securing seven rebounds.

Evan Oliver subbed off the bench and immediately dominated the court, earning a three-point play from a daring layup attempt only seconds after stepping onto the court. Oliver would go on to score twenty-five points in a new season-high with two steals and one assist. Shooting mainly from the mid-range, Oliver was hitting easy shots in space allowed by the Warriors just inside the arc.

Oliver did an incredible job at making it to the free throw line, scoring 10 of his 13 attempts from the line and going to the line six times in the first half alone.

Senior Kelvin Wright Jr. was impossible to guard on Thursday. He scored six of his seven attempts under the basket against the Warriors, dishing out two assists in his twelve-point performance. Fourty-four of the Wildcat's points were under the basket; Wright Jr. played a massive role in securing offensive rebounds or creating space down low for his guards to finish.

The Wildcat's defense has been a mainstay for the squad this season, with seamless transition when they force a turnover or pick up a loose ball. Chico State scored twenty-four of their eighty-four points from fast breaks and baskets from turnovers.

Notably, senior Joshua Hamilton served up four assists with five other 'Cats tallying at least one in the win.

Impressively, the Warriors put the home side at the line for twenty-four shots, with Chico State sinking twenty for an outstanding 83 percent free throw shooting result.

Chico State will be back at home this Saturday, January 13th, to take on the visiting Cal State Monterey Bay Otters in Acker Gym. Tip-off will be at 3:30 p.m., so follow along on the CCAA Network if you cannot attend to support your Wildcats.