CARSON, Calif. – When the Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball teams walked into Cal State Dominguez Hills' Torodome Friday afternoon for the NCAA West Regional first round, they knew the fourth meeting this season will be the last.
 
It took an extra five minutes, but the seventh-seeded Wildcats got a go-ahead layup from Jordan Allred, a big defensive rebound by Jadence Clifton followed by a pair of game-securing free throws to upset the second-seeded Broncos 57-52 in overtime to advance to the semifinal round of the NCAA West Regionals.


 
The win marks the first NCAA tournament win for the Wildcats since 2014 and it is the first time Chico State has upset the No. 2 seed since 2005, when the then-No. 3 Wildcats beat Western Washington 85-75 in the West Regional semifinal in Seattle.
 
Chico State improves to 24-7 overall, marking the first time in Brian Fogel's 16 years a team has won that many games in a single season.
 
Saturday's semifinal round will feature a Wildcats vs. Wildcats matchup. Chico State will take on Central Washington, which also shares the same nickname. The sixth-seeded Central Washington is coming off a 74-53 upset of its own against No. 3 Point Loma earlier in the day. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Torodome.
 
Allred finished the day with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Aragon had a dozen points and Clifton had 10 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 on the free throw line. Ciarah Michalik had six rebounds to go along with five points.
 
Sydney Nelson never came off the floor in the game and led the effort for the Broncos (25-6) with 20 points and nine rebounds. Kalaya Buggs, Cookie Marques and Breanne Ha, key components to the Broncos' success in the 2024-25 season, combined for 18 points in their final game in their collegiate careers.
 
While the Torodome had frigid temperatures, both teams had cold shooting numbers. Chico State made 29.2 percent (19-for-65) of their shots while Cal Poly Pomona made 31.3 percent (21-for-67).
 
Rebounding was a factor in the game as the Broncos outperformed the Wildcats on the glass 48-42. Pomona also scored 10 second chance points from 14 offensive boards.
 
Chico State got off to a fast start, even taking a 14-point lead eight minutes into the game. Cal Poly Pomona would fully erase that lead when Ha hit a 3-point shot to tie the game at 46 with four minutes left in the game. Minor would get a layup in the Broncos' next possession to take the lead for the first time. After a back-and-forth battle for possession, Allred came up with a clutch moment by making a layup to tie the game at 48 with 41 seconds left. Neither could not get a bucket the rest of regulation.
 
Brielle Minor made a field goal 30 seconds into overtime and Chico State went 0-for-5 from the field until Aragon made a jumper in the paint to tie the game at 50 with two minutes left. Nelson responded in the next possession with her 20^th point in the paint. Michalik and Allred missed their shots and with one minute left, Aragon made both free throws to tie the game.
 
The play of the game also happened to be best one. With less than 30 seconds to play, Aragon was covered in the free throw lane, Allred snuck around the Broncos defense to the baseline and was found open for the go-ahead layup. Although Allred made one of her two free throws, it gave the Broncos hope as it was a 3-point deficit with nine seconds left. Buggs tried to tie the game that was missed and recovered by Clifton, who would then make her pair of free throws to put the game out of Cal Poly Pomona's reach.
 
Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona finish the season with a 2-2 split. Each side took a win on their opponent's home floor, the Broncos knocked the Wildcats out of the CCAA Championship last week and now the Wildcats returned the favor in the NCAA tournament.