CHICO, Calif. - Following a disappointing weekend in Southern California, the Chico State men's basketball team started the second half of the conference season with a dominant 95-61 blowout of the Cougars. Improving to 13-4 overall and 8-4 in CCAA play, the Wildcats keep their top five standing on the conference ladder, tied with Cal State East Bay.

The Wildcats did not lack motivation following their two losses in Los Angeles; they shared the ball and did the hard work for each other on defense. 

It was a close matchup between the two squads until the 'Cats pulled away early with an impressive shooting performance from the entire team, shooting 53 percent from the field—setting a new season high in field goals and total points.

Sophomore Jojo Murphy was the leading Wildcat Thursday night with 23 points, sinking nine of his fourteen field goal attempts. The 2023 CCAA Freshman of the Year set a new season record in scoring. He was looking composed from beyond the arc with five 3-pointers.

Murphy scored four of his 3-pointers in the first half, building a twenty-one-point lead over the Cougars heading into halftime.

A handful of Wildcats made it look easy Thursday night, with Adam Afifi, Joshua Hamilton, Evan Oliver, and Trae Taylor all scoring in the double digits. The Cougars struggled to find an answer defensively, allowing the Cats to score 40 points in the paint.

Joshua Hamilton sunk all his close-range jumpers, earning seven assists on the night. Hamilton is the 'Cats' assist leader this season with 50 total assists with just under half of the season remaining. 

The second half looked similar to the first, with the Wildcats putting on a scoring clinic, not letting up on either end of the court and scoring 49 points in the half, leading by almost forty points in the closing minutes of the decisive conference win.

Notably, the Wildcats only allowed the visitors to pick up six offensive rebounds, the least of any team they've faced this season.

In his first season with the Wildcats, Adam Afifi has been crucial in securing baskets under the hoop and lethal from long range, recording his first double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate Evan Oliver scored another impressive performance with 16 points off the bench, keeping his routine at the free-throw line, scoring seven of his ten attempts. Oliver has been to the line 94 times this season, second in the CCAA.

Continuing their home series of CCAA contests, the Sonoma State Seawolves will visit on Saturday for a rematch after the Wildcats won in the last meeting between the two with a score of 87-72. Tip-off is at 3 pm in Art Acker Gym; if you can't make it, you can catch all of the action on the CCAA Network.