SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Chico State men's basketball team came up clutch down the stretch yet again, making the key plays needed to defeat Cal State San Marcos on Thursday night. The victory marks their ninth consecutive conference win, the program's longest streak in CCAA play since the 2016-17 season. Additionally, the Wildcats' 12 straight wins overall now stands as the longest winning streak in the modern era of Chico State men's basketball.
With their ninth straight conference win, the Wildcats remain undefeated in CCAA play, starting 9-0, while improving to 13-2 overall. On the other hand, the Cougars fall to 1-13 overall and 1-7 in CCAA play.
Although the Cougars never held a lead, the game remained tightly contested. The first half was a game of back-and-forth runs before Chico State managed to pull ahead by eight points at halftime. Early in the second half the Wildcats extended their advantage to 10, their largest lead of the game, but the Cougars fought back and trimmed the deficit to just two with four minutes remaining.
The Wildcats then shifted into high gear, with a Miles Daniels three-pointer at the 2:43 mark igniting a decisive 14-6 run to close out the victory. The Wildcats' late surge was fueled by clutch shooting and strong defense, hitting their last five shot attempts from the field from four different starters.
JoJo Murphy continued his scoring dominance, reaching the 20-point mark once again with a team-high 21 points and four assists, shooting an efficient 70 percent shooting from the field.
Isaiah Kerr made a significant impact, recording 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds to anchor the Wildcats on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, Trae Taylor delivered a strong performance, contributing 14 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field and converting six of his eight free-throw attempts. The team shooting a collective season's best from the field in Thursday's win, combining for fifty-seven percent from across all ranges.
The Wildcats will stay on the road for a quick turnaround as they take on Sonoma State on Saturday afternoon. The Seawolves hold a record of 8-6 overall and 4-4 in CCAA play following their win over Cal Poly Humbolt.
Tip-off will be at 3 p.m. on January 18 located in The Wolves' Den.
