TURLOCK – The No. 25 Chico State men's basketball team took a stinger at Fitzpatrick Arena Saturday as Stanislaus State got a big momentum in the final eight minutes to beat the Wildcats 73-69.
 
While the Wildcats (18-6, 13-6 CCAA) are a lock in the upcoming CCAA Tournament, the setback does not help the race for the conference title or a bye into the semifinal round. Pending on Cal State LA's result against Cal State San Marcos, the Wildcats will fall to fourth place with three games remaining.
 
Kelvin Wright Jr. and Miles Daniels each had 12 points to lead the Wildcats. Isaiah Kerr had 10 points while Joshua Hamilton and Jojo Murphy each had nine.
 
Stanislaus State (7-18, 4-15 CCAA) was led by Dontrell Hewlett with 15 points, Jeremiah Jones had 13 points while Isaiah Jones and Mahda Fallay had 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Warriors bench was key to the win as they outscored the Wildcats' subs 35-23.
 
Chico State went into the second half leading 32-30. A 12-2 run gave the Wildcats their largest lead in the game, a 56-43 score with 8:30 left.
 
The Warriors shifted the tied after the 8-minute media timeout. They would go on a 30-13 run for the remainder of the game. Chico State went 4-for-10 from the field in that span with all those basket made were from beyond the arc.
 
Hamilton got three straight 3-pointers that kept the distance at five but a 10-0 run completed the rally for the Warriors.
 
After playing four games on the road, the Wildcats return to Acker Gym to close out the home schedule, hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills Thursday and Cal State LA Saturday. Both are tipping off at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats were defeated by both teams in Southern California last month.