FRESNO, Calif. – For the second straight day, the Chico State women's basketball team had to hold off a reeling opponent as the Wildcats beat Dominican 75-68 on Saturday to wrap up the season-opening CCAA/PacWest crossover at Fresno Pacific.
 
Chico State had to protect six-point lead with 2:30 left in the game. Jadence Clifton, Meadow Aragon and Ciarah Michalik came up clutch in the end, outscoring the Penguins 7-4.
 
Aragon ended the day with 16 points, coming up one point short from her career high. Clifton had 13 points, including three buckets made from 3-point range, and the trio of Makenzi Laporte, Jordan Allred and Kaila Woo each had 10 points.
 
Overall, the Wildcats ended the game shooting 47.3 percent (26-for-55) from the field, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc. Chico State also got the benefit of the free throw line, making 16-of-20. Aragon went a perfect 6-for-6 on the charity stripe.
 
Every Wildcat was a contributor to the 32 total rebounds. Clifton and Laporte led the team with five each while three of Aragon's four boards were offensive.
 
Chico State was unable to stop Dominican's Alaiyah San Juan, who piled up a whopping 29 points. The Penguins went 24-for-61 (39.3 percent) from the field while making 7-of-18 from the 3-point line. They also made 13-for-17 on the free throw line.
 
Although the Wildcats had the largest lead in the game at 42-32 with 1:05 left in the first half, the Penguins was able to shrink the deficit and have Chico State take a 36-42 lead into the locker room.
 
The Wildcats entered the fourth period leading 57-54. They went on to outscore the Penguins 18-14 in the period.
 
Chico State will open the home schedule Thursday taking on NCAA Division II newcomer Menlo at 5:30 p.m.
 
Postgame Notes
• With the win, Chico State is now 7-5 all-time against Dominican. The Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings dating back to 2021.
• Head coach Brian Fogel, in his 17^th season at the helm, is 251-173 in his career.
• Sophomore Kaila Woo, who scored 10 points today, made it the first time she reached double figures in her career. Her most points scored was four in her freshman season.