On a special night that celebrated all the seniors, the Wildcats frustrating season continued as they lost to the Cal State East Bay Pioneers, 45-58.
That night, seniors Annie Ward, Hannah Womack, Michelle Walker, and Sarah Rebibo entered Acker Gym for the last time in their Chico State careers.
A ceremony was held to honor the players’ hard work and dedication to the basketball team before the game tipped off.
After the ceremonies, the ‘Cats jumped out to an early 25-12 lead.
The team then struggled to make a basket as they watched Cal State East Bay score 13 unanswered points to bring the game to 27-25 at halftime.
In the second half, the Pioneers took a quick lead and never looked back.
The ‘Cats came within two until missing 10 of their last 14 shot attempts.
It was an emotional moment for Womack when she was taken off the court for the last time.
“I saw coach grab a sub and I assumed it was for me,” Womack said. “Then he called a time out and hugged me, then Annie [Ward] hugged me, then I almost lost it.”
Womack and Ward led all scorers with nine and eight points respectively.
The loss put an end to a disappointing season for the Wildcats as they finished the year 10-16, and 7-15 in conference, missing the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons.
It was a bittersweet ending for the seniors as they all had successful careers in their time playing for Chico State.
Womack etched herself into the Chico State history books as one of the best guards to put on a Wildcat uniform. She finished in the top ten in all time three-pointers with 143, and 247 free throws. Adding over 120 assists, 80 steals, and 200 rebounds.
A talented sharp shooter herself, Ward finished her career with 131 three-pointers. She also accumulated over 100 rebounds, assists, and games played.
Walker helped the ‘Cats control the boards as she pulled down over 220 rebounds and had over 50 steals in her career.
Rebibo had the most frustrating season of them all for the team. After a solid 2013-2014 season, she suffered a knee injured that kept her off the court for the whole 2014-2015 season.
As the seniors move on, the team looks to a young core of players to lead them next year and carry the torch that the four seniors have passed down.
Nick Martinez-Esquibel can be reached at [email protected] or @THENickMartinez on Twitter.
