Looking to bounce back from a two-game skid, the Wildcats were back at Acker Gymnasium facing the Stanislaus State Warriors.
The Wildcats got out to a hot start by connecting on four quick three-pointers from four different Wildcats. A Jojo Murphy three at the 12:44 mark put Chico up 19-6, their biggest lead of the night.
The Wildcats were without starting guard Miles Daniels, who was out with an arm injury and was replaced in the starting lineup by junior guard Max Walters.
“Without Miles, we definitely felt his absence,” head coach Cevin Meador said. “He’s our Swiss army knife—he rebounds, defends, and creates opportunities for everyone. But the guys really stepped up.”
Walters took advantage of the opportunity to start in Daniels’ absence, making an impact on both ends of the court by putting up a season-high 13 points, three steals and grabbing a team-leading seven rebounds.
“I just focused on doing what the team needed,” Walters said. “With Miles out, I knew I had to step up, not just offensively but defensively too. We all just came together and fought for the win.”
Turnovers and cold shooting at the end of the second half allowed the Warriors to head into half-time trailing 31-26. Despite holding onto their lead for most of the second half, the Warriors made a strong push led by senior guard Jeremiah Jones, who led the team in scoring with 22 points.
The Warriors’ bench outscored the Wildcats 26-14, thanks in large part to a stellar performance from freshman guard Lloyd French who scored 14 points.
Poor rebounding and struggles protecting the paint allowed the Warriors to take their first lead since the opening minute, with only 8:16 remaining. The Wildcats’ struggles with rebounding has been a recurring theme. In the last three contests, the Wildcats have been outrebounded 119-87. Although they only lost the rebounding battle 31-28 to the Warriors, Coach Meador has made rebounding a key emphasis for the team.
“When the shot goes up, we tend to run underneath the rim,” Meador said. “We’ve been working on creating a 15-foot bubble—getting physical, blocking out, and making sure the ball hits the floor instead of getting tipped out.”
The game was tied at 62 before freshman forward Cortevious Taylor hit a clutch three, giving the Wildcats some much-needed breathing room. Taylor then delivered the dagger, draining another three to put the Wildcats up by five with a minute remaining.
“I just stay confident, no matter the situation,” Taylor said. “I’ve missed shots before, but I always believe the next one’s going in.
While depth played a huge role in the win, the Wildcats were again led in scoring by Murphy, who finished with 19 points and remains the CCAA conference leader, averaging 20.7 points per game this season. The team also received key contributions, including 12 points from Cayden Harris.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 12-3 in the CCAA and remain two games behind Cal State Dominguez Hills for the conference lead. The Wildcats will be back in Acker Gymnasium at 3 p.m. on Saturday to take on Cal State Monterey Bay, who they beat in their previous meeting 78-74.
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.
J.J. Fain can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com.
