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Home finally on the horizon for men's basketball team following Tuesday's game at Stanislaus
Roderick Hawkins, who leads the Wildcats in rebounding, faces a stern test in the Warriors' formidable front court.
1/18/2010 4:38:40 PM
TURLOCK – Having spent more time in a van then the gang from Scooby Doo over the last two weeks, Chico State’s men’s basketball players will undoubtedly stretch, breathe a breath of fresh air, and give thanks when they pull into town in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. They will have just finished playing their fifth road game in 13 days at Cal State Stanislaus. They’ll undoubtedly have van sleep hairstyles. The expressions they wear will likely depend on whether they come home with a victory.
Tipoff for Tuesday night’s game in Turlock is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
The Wildcats entered last weekend on a six-game road winning streak, but dropped games at Humboldt State Thursday and Sonoma State Saturday to fall to 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Stanislaus enters Tuesday’s action 7-6 overall and 3-5 in the CCAA.
The Wildcats have a chance to finish the road trip a 3-2, a record they would surely have been satisfied with before the trek began. Standing in their way is a Warriors team that boasts a 3-1 record at home. The Warriors’ strength lies in the painted area where they lead the CCAA in blocked shots and rank second in rebounding.
The Wildcats will match up with the likes of 6-foot-11 center Frank Monge (6.5 rebounds per game and 13 blocked shots), 6-foot-7 forward Matt Ibewiro (4.0 rebounds per game and nine blocked shots) and 6-foot-3 forward Jordan Stokes (6.2 rebounds per game and 11 blocked shots) with four strong post players of their own. Terence Pellum is averaging 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocked shot per game. The undersized Roderick Hawkins leads the Wildcats in rebounding at 6.5 per game and is averaging 10.2 points per game. Six-foot-8 senior Brian Seals has had his best two games coming off the bench for the Wildcats during their current road string. And 7-foot freshman Jason Conrad has been effective as well.
With a win Tuesday, the Wildcats would move into a tie for third-place with Cal State L.A. and only a half game behind second-place Humboldt State. Beginning with games against Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills this Friday and Saturday, respectively, the Wildcats will play nine of their final 13 regular season games at home, including nine of their next 11. Chico State, Cal State L.A. (6-3) and Dominguez Hills (5-4) are all part of a six-team bunch between third and sixth place separated by one game.
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Wildcats of the Week
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Women's Basketball
Before the 2009-10 even got underway, Chico State women’s basketball Head Coach Brian Fogel described junior guard Natasha Smith as “the key to our success.” Truer words have never spoken, as Smith has turned her already impressive game up a notch to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional title game. Her efforts have netted the Sacramento native her third Wildcat of the Week honor this season.
Smith earned All-NCAA Championship Tournament West Region Team honors by averaging 14 points, 7.7 assists, five rebounds, and three steals per game during the Wildcats’ run to the Sweet 16 and West Region title game.
Friday against third seeded Western Washington, Smith scored 15 points, snared four rebounds, dished out five assists and made three steals as the Wildcats downed the Vikings 79-68. Saturday versus Humboldt State, the All-CCAA first team selection was even better, posting her second career double-double with 15 points and 10 assists, while hauling in a team-high eight rebounds and five steals in Chico State’s come-from-behind 86-76 victory over the Lumberjacks. Monday, in the regional title game against Seattle Pacific, Smith finished with 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds, and a steal while drawing the defensive assignment against Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year Daesha Henderson and limiting her to just five points on 1-of-10 shooting.
Smith, who led the CCAA in free throw percentage (.824) and assists (134), also led the ’Cats in scoring (11.5 points per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44). She continues to move up the Chico State career records ladder with each contest. With one year of eligibility still remaining, Smith ranks ninth all-time in scoring, sixth in assists, seventh in free throws and 10th in career steals and 3-pointers.
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Baseball
Chico State right fielder Adam Arakawa continued his torrid start to 2010 with four more multi-hit games, finishing 9-for-15, to lead the Wildcats to a series split a four-game series at Cal State San Bernardino over the weekend. The CCAA Player of the Week one week ago, he's been dubbed the Wildcat of the Week this week.
Arakawa doubled twice, scored six times, drove in three runs, and walked three times against San Bernardino. He also recorded the 100th hit of his career and has now registered two or more hits in eight straight games and 12 of the last 13 to raise his average to .493. He is hitting .633 over his past eight games and .571 over his last 13.
In Friday’s 8-5 victory, Arakawa went 2-for-5 and scored a run. He also singled in the 10th as the Wildcats scored three runs to win. He went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored as the Wildcats dropped first game of a doubleheader Saturday. In the second game, Arakawa went 3-for-3 with a walk, double, run and two RBI. His third hit of that game was the 100th of his Chico State career. Arakawa finished the weekend by going 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI in Chico State’s 20-5 win.
Arakawa leads the Wildcats in batting average (.493) hits (37), runs (33) walks (17) total bases (59), slugging percentage (.787) and on-base percentage (.581). His batting average and slugging percentage are both tops in the CCAA.
Arakawa was the West Region Gold Glove recipient last season and an Honorable Mention All-American, and has not committed an error in 44 chances this season.
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3.17.10 | Men's Basketball
SACRAMENTO – Chico State men’s basketball fans can glimpse of the program’s future by making the short drive south to ARCO Arena for the Northern California High School Basketball Championships Saturday. Nate Appel, a 6-foot-8 De La Salle High School product, will help lead the Spartans against Newark Memorial in the Northern California Division I title game at 8 p.m. Jordan Barton, a 6-foot-7 Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) product, will lead the Dragons against Sacramento High School in the Division III title game, scheduled to tip at noon.
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3.5.10 | Men's Basketball
ARCATA – The Chico State men’s basketball team has climbed from the deepest valley of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) to its upper echelon in just two seasons under Head Coach Greg Clink. The Wildcats’ quest to reach the conference’s highest peak will have to wait at least one more season. A remarkable comeback came up just short as the reigning king of the conference mountain, Cal Poly Pomona, defeated the Wildcats 80-77 in the CCAA Championship Tournament semifinals Friday night at Humboldt State’s Lumberjack Arena.
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3.4.10 | Men's Basketball
ARCATA - It's time to see if the slipper fits on the Chico State men's basketball team. Already one upset victory into the 2010 postseason, the Wildcats will attempt to knock off top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament semifinals Friday at 5:30 and officially earn the title of Cinderella.
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3.3.10 | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
The Chico State men’s and women’s basketball teams will compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament semifinals on Friday, March 5 at Lumberjack Arena in Arcata. Both teams will take on Cal Poly Pomona, and tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. for the women and 5:30 p.m. for the men. The finals will take place on Saturday. The winners of the CCAA Championship Tournament earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Championship Tournament. CLICK HERE TO GO TO WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT CENTRAL. CLICK HERE TO GO TO MEN'S TOURNAMENT CENTRAL.
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3.2.10 | Men's Basketball
CARSON – Age has rendered the piece of paper the color of a smoker’s teeth. Tiny rips and crevices ring the edges. It’s a history of the 1994-95 Chico State men’s basketball campaign and the line second from the bottom reads: Chico State 86, UC Davis 79 – March 3, 1995. For 14 years, 11 months and 30 days that line signified the last postseason victory for the Chico State men’s basketball team. But today is a new day.
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3.2.10 | Men's Basketball
WALNUT CREEK – The coaches of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) voted Jon Baird the conference’s Newcomer of the Year and to thee Second Team All-Conference team at the conclusion of the 2006-07 men’s basketball regular season. He was a junior then, right out of Shasta College. A hot-shot shooter with outstanding numbers, even more so than this season’s in fact. But his team was not winning (the Wildcats finished that season 7-20) and he now admits that he didn’t display the type of leadership the program needed from its leading scorer.
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3.1.10 | Men's Basketball
CARSON – The story of the 2009-10 Chico State men’s basketball team has been one of overcoming obstacles. The Wildcats overcame the stigma of four straight losing seasons with a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)-best seven-game improvement over last season under second year Head Coach Greg Clink. Guard Jon Baird is the team’s leading scorer despite spending two years away from the game before this, his senior season. In the face of taller opposition week in and week out, 6-foot-2 junior forward Roderick Hawkins has been arguably the team’s most valuable player while ranking third in the CCAA in rebounding. And many of the team’s six freshmen have made Clink proud when pressed into duty with the game on the line.
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