SAN BERNARDINO - The Wildcats have had a tough time winning on the road this season, especially in Southern California. Saturday was another tough day on the road; this time, the Coyotes of Cal State San Bernardino took the win 91-79, forcing the 'Cats to split their final weekend down south.
Saturday's contest looked a lot different than the Wildcats' previous losses to the conference's top teams, with their offense starting out strong and keeping the game tight from the opening tip.
Joshua Hamilton bounced back from a harrowing night in Pomona on Thursday, where he found himself in foul trouble early, only seeing the court for sixteen minutes before fouling out. Against the Coyotes, Hamilton scored 28 points, hitting ten of his seventeen shots from the field, five of those baskets from three-point range.
Turnover trouble struck the 'Cats while putting the Coyotes at the free throw line dug the nail in. Twenty-one points for the home team came off turnovers, making their turnover troubles sting much more.
Chico State was at the free throw line 24 times throughout the contest, making nineteen of their shots, but on the other end, the Coyotes were allowed 34 shots from the line and sinking 26.
Heading into halftime, the score was tied at 41, with both teams trading shots and neither side given an inch to break away. However, in the second half, the Coyotes began to inch ahead, ending with three players scoring twenty or more points to push away from the 'Cats.
Despite the result, the Wildcats' offensive percentages were not far from San Bernardino's. Chico State shot 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range, only allowing the Coyotes to score three of their thirteen three-point attempts, whereas the 'Cats scored eight triples.
San Bernardino's poor long-range shooting was rescued by their impressive scoring under the basket, scoring 50 points in the paint and outscoring Chico State by twenty points.
With the 1-1 record on the road trip, Chico State falls to a solo fourth-place position on the CCAA conference standings, behind Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State LA, who are still in a deadlock for the second-place and first-round bye in the postseason tournament. Cal State Dominguez Hills, who has jumped to a commanding lead in the standings, clinched a postseason spot with their win against the Pioneers on Saturday.
This is the critical point of the season where any result can be the decider between an extended season or an early exit.
With one final two-game road trip ahead, the Chico State Wildcats will travel to Monterey and Turlock as they close out the regular season. Beginning the journey at Cal State Monterey Bay, the Otters put up a fight in the last meeting between the two teams in Chico, but the Wildcats will have to leave no doubt if they want to finish favorably at the end of the 2023-24 conference season.
They have already soared far beyond last season, but their talented group wants to continue their climb.
Tip-off against the Otters is at 7:30 pm, and make sure to catch all the action on the CCAA Network.
