LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Chico State men's basketball team was in Los Angeles Thursday to take on co-leaders of the CCAA Cal State LA, where a solid Golden Eagles team held on for the win. The Wildcats entered into Thursday night's CCAA contest tied with the Golden Eagles alongside another school for the top of the table, but the 'Cats could not quite handle business on the road. 

The home team coming off a tight defeat in the Bay Area last Saturday, taking it at the nationally ranked Wildcats who struggled to answer throughout the night.

A first-half battle kept the score tight going into halftime, with the Wildcats (12-3, 7-3 CCAA) down only five points, 42-47. However, a consistent half of scoring kept the Golden Eagles (13-3, 8-2 CCAA) ahead throughout the second half, eventually jumping to a sixteen-point lead with ten minutes left.

In the closing minutes, Cal State LA was trading baskets with Evan Oliver and Kelvin Wright Jr. only letting go of their double-digit lead once three-pointers from Joshua Hamilton and Daniel Miles in the final two minutes reduced the lead to single digits.

A consistent takeaway in Thursday night's contest was the Wildcats shooting over 75 percent from the free throw line, sinking twenty of their twenty-six attempts.

Despite the loss, Chico State chipped away at the 16-point deficit to within six for their first loss in seven games.

Evan Oliver was the leading Wildcat with 21 points, playing twenty-two minutes but impacting the court when the ball was in his hands. 

Turnovers plagued the 'Cats, giving up 27 points from their sixteen lost possessions. The battle under the boards tipped in favor of the Golden Eagles, grabbing 15 offensive boards away from the Cats but limiting the home team to only eight second-chance points. 

Senior Joshua Hamilton battled until the end, scoring 18 points with three baskets from behind the arc and 7 for eight from the free throw line. He recorded six assists and seven rebounds against the formidable Golden Eagles.

The Wildcats will have one more chance to wring out a win from Southern California opponents, traveling a short distance to Dominguez Hills to face off against the Toros on Saturday.