Sports

Men’s and Women’s basketball clinch conference tournament in same night

Nathan Chiochios, Sports Editor // February 15, 2025

Chico spelled out in the empty bleachers at Acker Gym.

Following wins over the San Francisco State Gators on the road, the men’s and women’s basketball teams clinched a spot in the CCAA championship tournament in San Marcos.

The women’s team won a tight victory over the Gators thanks to a clutch shot from senior guard Jadence Clifton with under 30 seconds to play. The Wildcats improved to 18-5 and 13-4 in the CCAA, putting them in third place with five games left to play.

The men’s team dominated the Gators by a score of 82-65, led by sophomore Caden Harris’ career-high 22 points while going 6-for-6 from three. JoJo Murphy, the leading scorer in the CCAA, also secured his 13th 20-point game of the season.

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 18-5 overall and 14-3 in the conference. They currently sit in second place but are still in contention for a first-round bye.

The championships will occur March 6-8 in The Sports Center at Cal State San Marcos. Links to the men’s and women’s tournaments are provided here.

The Wildcats will take on Cal State East Bay on Saturday, with the women playing at 5:30 and the men at 7:30 in Hayward. Both squads dominated the Pioneers, with the men winning by 28, and the women hitting the century mark and winning by over 50 points.

For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.

Nathan Chiochios can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com.

About the Contributors

Nathan Chiochios, Sports Editor

Nathan Chiochios is in his fourth year at Chico State as a journalism news major. He is from Mountain View, a town in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is his fourth semester on The Orion, and his second semester as sports editor. He has also interned at the Palo Alto Weekly. Chiochios looks forward to growing his journalism and writing skills. In his free time, he spends most of his time skateboarding and hanging out with friends and family.

Javier Hernandez, Sports Reporter/Social Media Editor

Javier Hernandez is currently a a 4th year at Chico State University. He is majoring in Journalism with an option in News and is minoring in Psychology. He will be returning to the Sports section during the Spring of 2022 and will also be the Social Media Editor. He hopes to contribute to multiple beats to help expand his arsenal and envisions The Orion’s social media presence to grow. He has had a really strong passion for sports ever since he was a little kid and envisions himself covering sports for a living.