SEASIDE, Calif. – An offensive explosion from JoJo Murphy and the Wildcats propelledthe Chico State men's basketball team to a hard-fought 78-74 comeback win over Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday night to start the 2025 calendar.
Chico State improves to a 9-2 overall record and remains a perfect 5-0 in CCAA play, keeping pace with preseason favorites Cal State Dominguez Hills for first place in the conference. Cal State Monterey Bay will move to 3-7 overall and an 0-5 conference record.
Despite being limited to seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, Murphy played the entire second half and carried the Wildcats by scoring 17 of his 19 total points in the period. Isaiah Kerr stepped up in Murphy's absence in the first half, scoring 14 points. He finished the night with 18 points. Trae Taylor and Miles Daniels each had 10 points. Taylor also led the team in rebounding with eight of the Wildcats' 34 boards.
With the game tied at 70-70 and just three minutes to go, Murphy took over, scoring seven of the Wildcats' final eight points. Then, with just eight seconds left and the Wildcats leading by three, Trae Taylor delivered a critical block at the rim to seal the victory.
The Otters came out strong, building a 14-point lead with 7:57 remaining in the first half. However, Isaiah Kerr's 14 first half points kept the Wildcats within striking distance.Additionally, Ned Joyce drained two consecutive 3-pointers, sparking a 21-10 run that trimmed the deficit to just three by halftime.
Cal State Monterey Bay jumped out to another double-digit lead five minutes into the second half, but the Wildcats battled back to take a 67-65 lead with 7:40 to go.
Chico State's red-hot shooting from the 3-point line played a crucial role in the victory. The Wildcats hit a dozen 3-pointers while the Otters made five. Additionally, the Wildcats took care of the ball, committing only five turnovers throughout the game.
The Wildcats will head to the Central Valley to play Stanislaus State on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Warriors are coming off a 72-58 win over Cal Poly Humboldt at Fitzpatrick Arena tonight.
With the win, the Chico State men's basketball team improve to a road record of 3-1 and will now travel to Stanislaus State on January 4 for a 3 p.m. tip-off.
