ROHNERT PARK – Some people have a recurring nightmare about showing up to school or work naked. Others wake up in a cold sweat after another dream about arriving late or unprepared for a presentation or exam. The Chico State men’s basketball program’s recurring nightmare begins at the “Welcome to Rohnert Park” sign and, for 14 years in a row now, has ended with a disappointing loss at rival Sonoma State.
Disappointment is probably not a strong enough a word to describe the Wildcats’ feelings following a 77-58 loss Saturday night to a Seawolves’ team that was 3-11 after six straight losses over the last month.
The good news is, the Wildcats will still wake up Sunday morning with a record of 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). And that’s a start to the season beyond most Chico State fans’ wildest dreams on the heels of four straight seasons of nine wins or fewer.
The nightmares in Rohnert Park have not always been the same for the Wildcats. There have been times when they played dreamily until the final harrowing seconds of a heartbreaking loss. Other times, it was almost as if they did show up to work naked, having never even bothered to lace up their sneakers. Half of the 14 straight losses have come by 10 or more points.
Saturday night was one of those nights.
Darren Nye finished with five points and three rebounds.
The Wildcats missed eight of their first 10 shots and turned the ball over nine times in the first 10 minutes of the game to fall behind 15-6. Then things got truly frightening. The Wildcats were a ghost of the team that entered the game 9-3 overall and 6-1 on the road.
Will Olsem railed 5-of-6 three-pointers and surpassed his season scoring high in the first half with 15 points for the host Seawolves. Meanwhile, the Wildcats turned the ball over 14 times in the first half (they entered the night averaging 12 per game) and missed 17-of-24 field goals, 6-of-7 threes, and 5-of-10 free throws.
The Wildcats needed Brian Seals’ first-half buzzer-beating jumper to go into the half down only 37-20.
Another Olsem 3-pointer then sparked a 12-3 Sonoma State run out of the lockerroom and the lead grew to its largest of the night, 49-23, when he made a pair of free throws with 15:04 to play.
The Wildcats’ bench personell offered a glimmer of hope with a pair of 8-0 runs that cut the lead to 67-54 with five minutes to play. But the Wildcats never managed to get closer in the second half.
Seals finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 16 minutes off the bench. Terence Pellum chipped in 11 points, but no other Wildcats reached double figures.
Olsem nearly doubled his previous career high with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting as Sonoma State improved to 4-11 overall and 3-7 in the CCAA. Steven Pratt loaded the stat sheet with 15 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and a pair of steals.
The Wildcats still have an opportunity to finish plus-.500 on a five game road swing that started out in promising fashion at 2-0, but has leveled off at 2-2 with losses at Humboldt State and Sonoma State this weekend. They’ll travel to Turlock to face Cal State Stanislaus Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30. A win would also ensure the program’s first plus-.500 road record since the 2002-03 season and give them double-digit wins for the first time since 2004-05.
Following that game, the Wildcats will play nine of their final 13 games at home in Acker Gym, beginning Friday, Jan. 22 against Cal State L.A.
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