Lace up the dancing shoes! Chico State earn West Region bid in NCAA Championship Tournament

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Lace up the dancing shoes! Chico State earn West Region bid in NCAA Championship Tournament

2009-10 Chico State women's basketball team

The Chico State women's basketball team is Seattle-bound to take part in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional.

3/7/2010 7:49:15 PM

CHICO – The Chico State women’s basketball team has been so successful and accomplished so much this season, that a loss in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament title game was simply not the way the Wildcats deserved to finish the 2009-10 campaign. The NCAA selection committee evidently agreed, as Chico State was one of the eight schools announced Sunday to participate in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional, beginning Friday at Brougham Pavilion on the campus of Seattle Pacific University.

Chico State returns to the West Regional after coming up short last season, making the school’s seventh appearance in the NCAA Championship Tournament in the last eight year and its 10th overall.

“I think we’re deserving, and I’m excited that this team will be representing Chico State in the West Regional,” Head Coach Brian Fogel said of his 21-9 Wildcats following Sunday’s announcement. “Just to have the opportunity to play; I’m excited for every player on the team. We look forward to the challenge.”

Chico State is the sixth seed in the West Regional, and will take on No. 3 Western Washington Friday in its first round game. The Vikings, who earned an at-large bid from out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), are 24-3 on the season and ranked 18th nationally in the most recent USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll. This will be the second time the two teams have squared off this season – Western Washington defeated the Wildcats 80-59 December 20 during the GNAC/CCAA Challenge.

Fogel is looking forward to the rematch. “I’m very pleased with our side of the bracket,” he said. “In my mind, the first game is always the most difficult, and we’ll be going up against a very talented Western Washington team. But I feel [Chico State] stacks up with any school in the region, and I’m looking forward to a great game.”

The other two teams in Chico State’s bracket are CCAA schools – second seed UC San Diego (24-4, ranked 12th in the nation) will battle No. 7 Humboldt State (19-10), who earned an automatic bid in the West Region by winning the CCAA Championship Tournament.

In the other West Region bracket, GNAC champion and No. 1 seed Seattle Pacific University (24-3, ranked No. 18 nationally) will take on No. 8 Hawaii Pacific (17-6), the automatic qualifier from the Pacific West Conference. The two remaining schools both earned at-large bids to the West Regional – No. 4 seed Alaska Anchorage (23-4, No. 13 in the nation) will play No. 5 Cal Poly Pomona (22-6) in Friday’s first round action.

The winners of each of the eight regional tournaments will advance to the Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Missouri, for the chance to play for the Division II national championship. The Elite Eight will take place at Civic Arena on the Missouri Western State University campus.

Click here for all 64 teams and regional brackets for the NCAA Championship Tournament.

Exact game times will be available Monday. All Chico State West Regional games will be broadcast live on ESPN 101.7 and 1340 AM locally, as well as on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website.

Jan

February 2012

Mar

Sat, Feb. 04, 2012

Women's Basketball
vs San Francisco State
5:30 p.m.

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Wildcats of the Week

Amir Carraway

Men's Basketball

Amir Carraway capped a strong weekend with team highs of 16 points and seven rebounds in the Wildcats’ huge win against Humboldt State Saturday night to earn Wildcat of the Week honors for the second time this season.

The sophomore from Vallejo made two game-sealing free throws with 21 seconds left to finish the night 6-of-7 from the free throw line and pulled down key rebounds on two of the Lumberjacks’ last three possessions. He also set the screen on Jay Flores’ dagger 3-pointer with 40 seconds left.

Carraway finished with 10 points and four rebounds despite playing just 18 minutes due to foul trouble during the Wildcats’ loss to Sonoma State the night before.

The 6-foot-5 forward leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 per game and ranks second in scoring at 10.6 points per game a season after averaging just 1.4 points and one rebound in only 5.4 minutes a night. He’s now led the team in scoring five times and rebounding six this season.

Carraway and the Wildcats, among four teams tied for second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings, trail conference co-leaders Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills by just one game. They’ll welcome Cal Poly Pomona to town Friday night and San Francisco State Saturday.

Caressa Williams

Women's Basketball

For much of the season, redshirt freshman Caressa Williams has been sitting at the end of the Chico State women’s basketball team bench, seeing very little on-court action. But the former Paradise High School star continued to work hard on her game, and the extra effort has paid off in recent weeks with significantly more playing time. After a string of short but impressive relief roles, Williams delivered a breakout performance Saturday against Humboldt State, posting career highs in scoring and rebounding in the Wildcats’ 90-67 thumping of Humboldt State. Her strongest effort to date makes Williams the latest Wildcat of the Week.

Williams shot over 58 percent (7-of-12), averaging just under 10 points and five rebounds in Chico State’s two weekend contests. She began the weekend with a solid outing Friday against Sonoma State, contributing five points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals in 16 minutes of action. Saturday, though, she was a major part of the Wildcat reserves combining to score 51 in the team’s convincing 23-point win over Humboldt. Williams played 24 minutes, scoring 14 points and hauling in seven rebounds – both career highs – connecting on five of her seven field goal attempts. She also chipped in with an assist and a steal in addition to shining on the defensive end.

Williams’ productive weekend saw her season scoring average more than double, rising from 1.6 to 3.6 points per game. Overall, she is shooting 50 percent from the field and is averaging two rebounds a contest.

Chico State is back in action this weekend, hosting Cal Poly Pomona Friday and San Francisco State Saturday at Acker Gym. Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 5:30 p.m.

2.3.12 | Women's Basketball

Broncos streak past Wildcats, 83-74

CHICO – Cal Poly Pomona came into Chico Friday struggling to find the success that saw the Broncos win their first eight games of the season. Pomona had dropped three of its last five contests, and had averaged less than 58 points over its last six contests. Fighting to hang onto sole possession of fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the Broncos found the hot hand at Acker Gym, shooting 48 percent from the field and using several long scoring streaks to beat the host Wildcats, 83-74.

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2.2.12 | Women's Basketball

’Cats try to tame Broncos and ground Gators this weekend

CHICO – With two important southern California road trips on the horizon, the Chico State women’s basketball team would like nothing better than to continue its forward momentum and duplicate last Saturday’s sterling effort against Humboldt State. The Wildcats will get that opportunity in front of the home fans this weekend, hosting Cal Poly Pomona Friday and San Francisco State Saturday at Acker Gym. Tipoff for both games are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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2.2.12 | General

Comcast to broadcast CCAA Basketball Tournament final fours

WALNUT CREEK – The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Comcast Hometown Network (CHN) announced today an agreement to televise the 2012 CCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament Semifinals and Finals. The CCAA Tournament opens with first round contests at campus sites on Tuesday, Feb. 28 before shifting to UC San Diego’s RIMAC Arena in La Jolla for the semifinals and finals on March 2 and 3, respectively.

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1.30.12 | Women's Basketball

Williams helps hammer Humboldt, wins Wildcat of the Week award

1.28.12 | Women's Basketball

Total team effort – every Wildcat scores in 90-67 win over Lumberjacks

CHICO – What a difference a night makes. After posting their worst offensive performance of the season Friday against Sonoma State, the Chico State women’s basketball team came alive Saturday versus Humboldt State, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and riding 51 points by the Wildcat reserves to an impressive 90-67 win over a quality Lumberjack squad. Every Chico State player scored as the ’Cats beat the Lumberjacks at Acker Gym for the 15th straight time dating back to the 1994-95 season.

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1.27.12 | Women's Basketball

Wildcats can’t get in the zone, fall to Sonoma State 57-45

CHICO – For the Chico State women’s basketball team to climb the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings and the NCAA West Region rankings, the Wildcats will need to figure out how to thwart zone defenses. The ’Cats have struggled throughout January against teams that have thrown up the zone and held the Wildcats to minimal fast break opportunities. Friday was no different, as Sonoma State – the conference’s top defensive team – ran the zone to near perfection, holding the Wildcats to just 16 first half points on the way to a 57-45 victory at Acker Gym.

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1.26.12 | Women's Basketball

Wildcats open second half of conference season at home this weekend

CHICO – The Chico State women’s basketball team was looking for a little head of steam heading into the second half of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule, and they got it last weekend with road wins over Cal State East Bay and No. 22 Cal State Monterey Bay. The Wildcats now attempt to keep that positive roll going as they get their second look at conference opponents. The ’Cats return home Friday to face Sonoma State, with Humboldt State visiting Acker Gym on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.

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