The Chico State Wildcats remain undefeated in conference play and at home following a 79-62 victory Saturday afternoon over the San Francisco State Gators. The Wildcats entered Saturday’s matchup coming off a dominant win over Cal State East Bay, where they held the Pioneers under 50 points.
Chico State carried over their defensive momentum into Saturday’s game, led by the junior guard Miles Daniels. The junior wasn’t able to get any shots to drop from the field but still made sure his presence was felt, totaling seven rebounds and assists.
“Defense wins championships,” Daniels said. “When you start trusting each other, that’s when your defense becomes better and better. And we’ve put in the work, and we’re trusting each other, and it’s helping our offense.”
Junior guard Jojo Murphy was the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 21 points and five assists. As it stands, Murphy is the leading scorer in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, averaging 19.4 points per game.
Daniels and Murphy lead the conference in minutes played, both averaging 34.9 minutes per game. Sophomore guard Isaiah Kerr was another huge part of the win, coming out of the gates drilling shots from beyond the arc and finishing with 16 points and four three-pointers.
“Putting in the work day in and day out, I worked on my shot a lot this summer and just being consistent with it. And today, it was feeling good, so I was letting it fly,” Kerr said.
Freshman guard Cortevious Taylor gave the Wildcats a spark off the bench, subbing into the game and immediately draining back-to-back threes. Being from San Francisco, Taylor was able to set a career-high in threes made against his hometown university.
Things were close early on, with the Wildcats and Gators trading blows in the first 10 minutes of the game. However, Chico State found its groove and started forcing turnovers left and right, leading them on a 27-11 run that gave them an 18-point lead going into the half.
In the second half the Wildcats were in cruise control, maintaining their lead and guiding them to their fifth consecutive victory. With the win, Chico State remains undefeated at the Acker Gymnasium and in conference play thus far.
“League games are always super tough,” Kerr said. “In conference, we gotta be dialed in on our P’s and Q’s every day; and home-court advantage is very important to us.”
The Wildcats are back in action on Saturday for the third of their four-game homestand when they take on the Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks. Home games are free to attend for students who present their student ID or Canvas home page.
For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.
Lukas Mann can be reached at [email protected].
