Despite a second half surge, the Chico State women’s basketball team fell just short to the undefeated Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros, losing 78-69 Thursday evening. Senior forward Makenzi Laporte led the way for the Wildcats, recording a career-high, scoring 25 points.
The game opened with an evenly matched first quarter, with both teams tied at 19. In the second quarter, the Toros tightened their defense, holding the Wildcats and outscoring them 17-9.
“We had a good game plan to break the press, but when we broke the press we were hesitant to score and be aggressive, I think in the second half we were looking to score off the press which helped us,” Laporte said.
The Wildcats would have a strong third quarter matching the Toros scoring 18 points. Despite the Wildcats’ efforts, the Toros maintained a 54-46 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, down by 11, Laporte, along with Meadow Aragon and Jadence Clifton helped contribute a quick 9-0 run to cut the deficit down to two with 7:41 left. The Toros responded with a 12-3 run to take a 69-58 lead three minutes later and the Wildcats were unable to recover from it.
Senior forward Meadow Aragon was a big contributor to the comeback effort, adding 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive side of the glass, extending her streak of making a double-double in the last four games.
Senior guard Ciarah Michalik had a strong game going to the boards, recording a season high with nine rebounds and just one away from her career best. Senior guards Jordan Allred and Jadence Clifton each added 11 points.
“We know they are ranked third in the country, but we stuck right with them,” Laporte said. “We are confident, we know how good we are, now we just need to show everyone that.”
The Wildcats will look to bounce back from this loss as they prepare for Saturday’s matchup against Cal State LA at 1 p.m. at the Acker Gymnasium.
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.
Trevor Lee can be reached at [email protected].