Merced, Calif. – The Chico State women's basketball team fought back after a tough first half but couldn't overcome an early deficit Friday afternoon, falling 84–63 to Dominican University of California in a neutral-site matchup at the Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation & Wellness Center.

Chico State dropped to 0–1 overall, while Dominican improved to 1–0.

Wildcat Standouts
– Madison Parry – 14 points (5–10 FG, 4–6 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
– Meadow Aragon – 11 points (4–9 FG, 3–4 FT), 10 rebounds, 1 assist
– Kaylie Edge – 9 points (3–7 3PT), 3 rebounds

Game Summary
– Dominican came out red-hot, using pressure defense and efficient shooting to build a 31–12 first-quarter lead.
– Chico State settled in during the second quarter, finding offense from Parry inside and Edge from beyond the arc, but still trailed 55–28 at the break.
– The Wildcats battled back in the third quarter, outscoring the Penguins 20–16 thanks to Aragon's inside presence and strong rebounding.
– Chico continued to show fight in the fourth, cutting the margin to the low 20s before Dominican closed things out from the free-throw line.
– The Wildcats won the rebounding battle 43–35 but were undone by 26 turnovers that led to 25 Dominican points.

By the Numbers
– Chico shot 34.4% from the field (22-for-64) and 30.4% from 3-point range (7-for-23).
– Dominican hit 45.3% overall (29-for-64) and 43.5% from deep (10-for-23).
– Chico out-rebounded Dominican 43–35, including 16 offensive boards.
– The Wildcats' bench added 13 points, highlighted by Laila Florvilus' late 4th-quarter scoring burst.
– Chico limited Dominican to 32 points in the second half after giving up 55 before the break.

Up Next
Chico State wraps up its weekend in Merced with another non-conference matchup Saturday at 12 p.m. against Fresno Pacific.