Coming off a tight win versus the Stanislaus State Warriors, the Wildcats looked to maintain their home dominance against Cal State Monterey Bay who are currently in last place in the conference. In their previous meeting, the Wildcats squeaked out a 4-point win in Monterey

Much like their first meeting, the contest remained a back-and-forth battle, with the Wildcats’ biggest lead coming in the first 5 minutes, reaching 11 points. However, the Otters went into half-trailing 32-35.

Rebounding had been an issue in the previous three contests, losing all three matchups on the boards. Saturday’s win allowed the Wildcats to get back to controlling the paint, despite losing the points-in-the-paint battle, they were able to out-rebound the Otters, 38-26. Wildcat’s forward Cortevious Taylor led the team with nine rebounds and starting center Trae Taylor added eight. 

Offensively, the Wildcats were led by Junior guard Jojo Murphy, who scored 19 points on 4-7 shooting from three-point range, and Cortevious, who added 16 points on 5-11 shooting. The Wildcats remained solid from three-point range, connecting on over 30% of their three-point attempts for the second straight game.

The game remained a nail-biter, with the Wildcats clinging to a four-point lead with less than five minutes remaining. However, Murphy’s timely shooting and playmaking gave them important separation to close the game out.

The Wildcats’ defense was a big reason they were able to claw out the win, holding the Otters to 34% from the floor and 18% from three. Despite their offensive struggles, sophomore forward Joey Bilello led the team with 15 points while shooting an efficient 6-8.

With the win, the Wildcats remain in the hunt for the conference, trailing Cal State Dominguez Hills by two games with six contests remaining. Catching up to the Toros will be an uphill battle, however, as they have a four-game road trip the next two weekends, before finishing the season with two home games.

After their road trip, the Wildcats will be back in Acker Gymnasium to take on the Sonoma State Seawolves on Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats had their highest-scoring game of the season in their previous meeting, scoring 96 points. 

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 [email protected].