CHICO – The disappointment of Friday’s home loss to Cal State Monterey Bay had no carryover effect on the Chico State men’s basketball team Saturday night – the Wildcats came out aggressive against visiting San Francisco State, and never trailed in a 72-60 victory over the Gators at Acker Gym. The win snapped a mini two-game losing streak and vaulted the ’Cats into sole possession of fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference standings.
The Wildcats improved to 11-7 on the season and 7-6 in CCAA play as Chico State swept the season series with the Gators. Saturday’s loss dropped San Francisco State to 13-8 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
Chico State set the tone early as baskets by Terence Pellum and Jon Baird gave the Wildcats a quick 4-0 lead. San Francisco briefly tied the score at six apiece, and midway through the opening period Chico State was holding on to a slim three point lead. With the score 15-12, Damario Sims hit a pair of buckets to kick-start a 17-8 Wildcat run; Jay Flores finished the stretch with a 3-pointer to extend Chico State’s lead to a dozen. The Gators scored twice in the final 1:40 of the period and the Wildcats took a 32-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
San Francisco State pulled to within six early in the second half, but that would be as close as the Gators would get – Chico State reeled off 25 of the next 36 points to take a commanding 57-37 lead with 9:47 to play. Jon Baird was the catalyst of the game-deciding run, burying three 3-pointers, while Flores added a trey and Pellum three buckets to put the Wildcats firmly in charge of the contest. Pellum and Baird continued to lead the Chico State offense down the stretch, with the Wildcats still up by 20 with 3:07 to go. The Gators whittled the deficit down to a dozen, but Baird and Flores combined to hit five free throws in the final minute to seal the deal and cement Chico State’s 72-60 victory.
Baird led four Wildcats in double figures with 18 points; Pellum contributed 17, with Flores and Roderick Hawkins chipping in with 10 points apiece. San Francisco State’s Tim Pratt scored a game-high 21 points and hauled in 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Chico State finished the night shooting 45 percent from the field and connecting on five 3-pointers.
BOX SCORE
Chico State takes to the road next week, with a huge weekend series looming is southern California against a pair of top conference teams. Friday the Wildcats face Cal Poly Pomona (11-5 on the season, 9-4 in the CCAA) and conference-leading Cal State San Bernardino (13-4 overall, 11-2 in the CCAA) on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
