CHICO, Calif. - On a day in which the Chico State women's basketball team had to remain focus in Saturday's regular season finale against Cal State San Marcos for postseason reasons, the Wildcats did get to enjoy a few minutes in celebrating the senior class before going on to beat the Cougars 80-62.
Prior to tipping off, the Wildcats recognized their Class of 2025 class in Jordan Allred, Meadow Aragon, Ashleigh Barr, Jadence Clifton, Makenzi Laporte and Ciarah Michalik.
Chico State finishes the regular season 22-6 overall and 17-5 in the CCAA, good enough for a third-place finish and the No. 3 seed to the upcoming CCAA Championships on the campus of Cal State San Marcos next week. Chico State did not learn its opponent until long after the game against Cal State Marcos. After Sonoma State finished out its evening game at Cal Poly Humboldt, that win along with Cal State LA's victory at San Francisco State placed the two teams in a tie for fifth place in the conference standings. Using the tie-breaking procedure in the CCAA bylaws, the conference had to use the two's results against Chico State to determine seeding since both teams split their season meetings and each lost to No. 1 Cal State Dominguez Hills and No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona. Since Sonoma State picked up a win over the Wildcats in Rohnert Park back in January and Cal State LA was swept by the Wildcats, the Seawolves was awarded the No. 5 seed and the Golden Eagles will be the No. 6 seed. Chico State and Cal State LA will meet Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round with the winner meeting No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinal round on Friday.
The Wildcats' win also keeps them in the hunt for a spot to the NCAA West Regionals in two weeks as the next poll updates for the final time on Wednesday before conference playoffs begin.
From the onset, Chico State took control of the game with strong performances from key players. Laporte led the scoring with an impressive 22 points, coupled with 11 rebounds, establishing her as a pivotal figure in the game. Clifton also made significant contributions with 14 points and a team-high five assists, complemented by her effective defensive skills, notching four steals. Allred matched Clifton's scoring with 14 points and shared the spotlight in assists and defensive plays.
The game unfolded with Chico State establishing an early lead and never looking back. By halftime, the Wildcats had built a substantial lead of 45-20, thanks to their tight defense and consistent scoring, including key three-pointers by Laporte and Allred. Their command continued throughout the second half, with the team maintaining their lead and closing the game strongly to cement the victory.
