CHICO, Calif. – Meadow Aragon scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for another double-double and Makenzi Laporte had 18 points as the duo seniors helped get the Chico State women's basketball team out of the losing funk by posting a 76-62 win over Cal State LA at Acker Gym on Saturday.
The win snaps Chico State's two-game skid and improves to 14-4 overall and 9-3 in the CCAA. Cal State LA, meanwhile, falls to 12-5 overall and 7-5 in conference play.
For Aragon, it is her fifth straight double-double game and the sixth total this season. Laporte closes out the week with 43 points.
Although Jordan Allred had a tough day shooting, going 3-for-11 from the field and making two free throws for nine points, her presence was certainly known on the glass. The senior reached for a career-high 13 rebounds along with making six assists. Ciarah Michalik finished with 10 points.
Chico State, overall, finished the day shooting 38.2 percent (26-for-68) and making 17 of its 26 free throw opportunities.
The Wildcats were also dominant on the boards, outrebounding the Golden Eagles, 50-33.
Cal State LA's Sofia Fidelus appeared to be unstoppable in the game, going 12-for-25, including six from 3-point range, to collect 30 points. The Golden Eagles' leading scorer Lily Buggs was limited to 4 points but did lead the team in rebounding with 10.
Chico State jumped to a 7-1 lead to start the game. Fidelus carried Cal State LA on a 7-2 run after to trim the lead down to one with 3:27 left in the opening quarter.
The Wildcats started the second quarter leading 13-11. Cal State LA kept it close until Chico State went on a 12-2 run in the span of 2:17 to take a 31-19 lead with 4:26 to play in the first half. The Wildcats finished the front half leading 41-28.
At the halfway point of the third quarter, Laporte and Jadence Clifton combined for 11 points that helped stretch Chico State's lead to 16 with 2:17 left. The Golden Eagles did go on a nine-point run that carried over to the start of the fourth quarter to help shrink the gap to 56-49. Allred hit a jumper with 8:55 that shifted the momentum back to her team's side and another 11-3 run put the Wildcats back ahead by 15. Chico State would keep a double-digit lead the rest of the game.
Chico State heads back to Southern California for two critical games at Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona. The first stop will be at Coussoulis Arena against the Coyotes on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The Coyotes return home after besting Cal State East Bay 73-56 for their fourth straight win.
It was not that long ago Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino faced each other, with the Wildcats taking a 94-73 win over the Coyotes in Acker Gym two weeks ago.
Postgame Notes
• With the win, Chico State extends the all-time series lead against Cal State LA 40-21. It also snaps a two-game losing skid against the Golden Eagles.
• Head coach Brian Fogel, in his 17
th season at the helm, is 263-177 in his career. He is currently chasing Fran Coslet's program record 286 wins.
• Now that she joined the elite clubs of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in her career, Makenzi Laporte can now start the climb in the record books. At the end of today's game, Laporte now has 1,044 points and is now chasing Jazmine Miller (2010-14), who had 1,231 points in her career at Chico State. In the rebounding column, Laporte has 533 and is now catching up to her former teammate Haley Ison (2018-23), who had 540 during her time in a Wildcat uniform.
• Meadow Aragon has been on a tear in the last five games with those double-double performances. She has been averaging 19.8 points and 11.8 rebounds during that span. This season, she is averaging 15.3 points, which ranks fourth best in the CCAA, and 5.7 rebounds per game, which ranks sixth in the conference.
• Makenzi Laporte is also climbing her way in the CCAA scoring average. The senior is now second on the large list with a season average of 15.9 points per game. Cal State Dominguez Hills' Nala Williams leads the field with an average of 16.7 points per game.
• Jordan Allred's new career-high 13 rebounds supersede her previous record of 10 set twice, the first against Cal State Dominguez Hills last season and the latest against Cal State San Bernardino two weeks ago. Her six steals are also a career-high, matching her mark set at Jessup back in November.
