CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State women's basketball team opened the home portion of the 2024-25 schedule with an 86-67 win over NCAA Division II and PacWest newcomer Menlo College Thursday evening.
 
The win, which moved Chico State to 3-0, saw many ups and one downer. The Wildcats went 35-of-68 (51.5 percent) from the field and dished out 25 assists. They even dominated the glass, 51-28. The only downside was the turnovers, which the Wildcats were guilty of 24 mistakes.
 
Makenzi Laporte scored 19 points, Jordan Allred had 15 and Meadow Aragon and Jadence Clifton both had 11 to lead the Wildcats in the scoring department. Ashleigh Barr, coming off the bench, collected 14 of the 51 rebounds.
 
The Oaks (1-2) were led by Alberte Frisch, who scored 28 points. Jordyn Rosette had a double-double of a dozen points and 10 rebounds. Menlo shot 32.4 percent (24-for-74) while making a dozen 3-pointers.
 
After a see-saw battle throughout the first quarter, the Wildcats broke through in the second, outscoring the Oaks 23-7 in the period to take a 44-23 into intermission. Despite Menlo winning the third period 30-21 and shrinking the deficit down to 10, Chico State started the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run to rebuild the 23-point lead (78-55).
 
Chico State hits the road again for the next three games, starting on Saturday with another NCAA Division II and PacWest newbie in Jessup. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on KPAY Newstalk 93.9 FM.
 
Postgame Notes
• Tonight was only the second all-time meeting between Chico State and Menlo. Their first meeting was in 1999, when the Wildcats beat the Oaks 57-43.
• Head coach Brian Fogel, in his 17^th season at the helm, is 252-173 in his career.
• The last time the Wildcats shot 50 percent or better from the field was against Cal Poly Pomona in the CCAA Tournament semifinal last season, when they hit an impressive 54.7 percent. The last time Chico State reached the half-century mark in Acker Gym was against Cal State Monterey Bay last season, when they eclipsed 56.5 percent.
• Ashleigh Barr's 14 rebounds on the night was a career-high during her time at Chico State. Her previous personal best was 13 against Cal State San Marcos in the CCAA Tournament final last year.
• The Wildcats' 25 assists are the most in a game since their road win at Stanislaus State last season. The last time Chico State reached 25 total assists was November 22, 2017 against Holy Names. The Wildcats made 27 assists in the win against the Hawks that day.
• It was the first time this season that the Wildcats reached for 50 rebounds in a game. The last time Chico State grabbed 51 rebounds was February 22, 2024 against Cal State Dominguez Hills in Acker Gym.