Guards Jojo Murphy and Jadence Clifton took home FloCollege/CCAA men’s and women’s basketball player of the week awards Tuesday.
Clifton’s player of the week award is highlighted by two of the biggest three-pointers of her career against the No. 2 ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros. Down 70-68 with time running down, she hit a clutch three to give the Wildcats the lead. The Toros tied it back up at 71 and on the next possession, Meadow Aragon found Clifton, who hit another three-pointer to put the game away. The Wildcats handed the Toros their first loss of the season.
Clifton helped lead the Wildcats to an undefeated weekend, with wins over the Cal State LA Golden Eagles and the Toros. She averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, including a double-double against the Golden Eagles.
The women’s team sits in third place after knocking off the first-place Toros with two games left to play.
Murphy, the conference’s leading scorer for much of the season, also led the Wildcats to a 2-0 road trip, with crucial wins over Cal State LA and No. 14 Cal State Dominguez Hills. He averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and five assists per game over the weekend, including a buzz-beater against the Golden Eagles.
The men’s team has won six straight games, coming ever closer to the first-place Toros. They are currently one game back from first place with two games left to play.
Clifton and Murphy will be back in action for their last two games of the series at Acker Gymnasium. They face Sonoma State on Thursday, with the women playing at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m. They will then face Cal State San Marcos in their final game of the season on Saturday, with the women playing at 1 p.m. and the men at 3 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.
Nathan Chiochios can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com
