After losing to Cal Poly Pomona in their first matchup three weeks ago, the Wildcats got their revenge in the rematch on Saturday. Seniors Meadow Aragon and Ciarah Michalik both made clutch free throws in the final 10 seconds to secure the 77-72 win, snapping the Broncos’ eight-game win streak.
It was a back-and-forth battle the entire game, as neither team led by more than six points. Chico State got off to a slow start, but once senior Jordan Allred started the scoring with a 3-pointer, the Wildcats began to click on all cylinders, taking a 14-8 lead midway through the opening period. The Broncos responded with a run of their own and closed out the first quarter leading 21-17.
The Broncos would take a 25-19 lead nearly 2:30 into the second quarter. The Wildcats would battle back, and with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half, Allred sank another three-pointer to put Chico State ahead 37-36 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Broncos capitalized off of six Wildcat turnovers. Luckily for the Wildcats, the Broncos went 5-19 from the field in the quarter and ended it leading 51-49.
The fourth quarter was a nail-biter to the end. Allred would go to the line and make a pair of free throws to move ahead 73-71 with 30 seconds left.
Broncos’ senior guard Kalaya Buggs made one of her two free throws, with her second shot missed which allowed Makenzi Laporte to secure the rebound and immediately call a 30-second timeout to get the ball out of the baseline.
The Wildcats would get the crucial free throws from Aragon and Michalik to complete the 77-72 win.
Allred led the way for the Wildcats, recording a double-double and scoring a team-best 21 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Aragon continued her strong season following her second CCAA Player of the Week award of the year. She recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds, earning her seventh double-double on the season and sixth in the last seven games. Michalik also had a productive day offensively with 12 points, while Jadence Clifton had 13 points and five rebounds.
With the win Saturday, Chico State improved to 15-5 overall and 10-4 in the CCAA, putting them in third place.
The Wildcats will return home to Acker gym Thursday to take on the Stanislaus State Warriors at 5:30 p.m. Home games are free for students who bring their student ID or show their 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].