Chico State Athletics

The junior forward from Seaside broke out of a mini-scoring slump in a big way over the weekend – after averaging just four points over a three-game span, Pellum poured in a combined 28 points to lead Chico State to a split of home games against Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State.
 
Friday against Cal State Monterey Bay, Pellum was one of four Wildcat players to score in double figures – his 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocked shots made for an impressive night’s work, but it was not enough to keep Chico State from falling to the visiting Otters, 61-58. Saturday versus San Francisco State, Pellum was nearly unstoppable offensively, hitting 8-of-13 shots to post a team-high 17 points; he also hauled in six rebounds as the Wildcats downed the Gators 72-60.

Pellum enters the week as the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer, averaging 11.4 points a game. He is also second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.4 boards a night. Pellum is currently tied for third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in blocked shots (averaging 1.0 a game), and ranks in the conference Top 15 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage (50.3 percent).

The junior guard from Sacramento continued her most productive season to date, providing the bulk of the Chico State offense as well as being one of the team’s top rebounders in the Wildcats’ weekend sweep of Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State.

Friday against Cal State Monterey Bay, Smith tallied 21 points – the fourth time this season she’s scored 20 or more – while nailing three 3-pointers, hauling in seven rebounds, dishing out four assists and grabbing four steals in Chico State’s 71-44 victory over the Otters. Saturday versus San Francisco State, Smith paced the Wildcats with 17 points, hitting 9-of-10 from the free throw line, contributed seven rebounds and four assists, and scored four points in the final 10 seconds to cement a 49-43 win over the Gators.

Smith leads the Wildcats in scoring (11.6 points a game), assists (3.6 a night) and steals (1.7 per contest) entering this week’s road games versus Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino. She ranks 12th in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in scoring, third in assists and eighth in steals, and is sixth among conference players in free throw percentage (75.6).

Smith’s weekend performance also moved her higher in several Chico State career statistical categories. She now ranks eighth in Wildcat history in assists (229), ninth in career free throws (206), and 10th all-time in steals (129). Smith also became just the 11th Chico State player ever to score over 900 points in a career.