The Chico State Wildcats Women’s basketball team came up short against the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters, 72-64, in their last regular season game Saturday evening. 

The ’Cats celebrated their 4 seniors, Jiana Creswell, Madison Parry, Meadow Aragon and Kaylie Edge, highlighting their all-time achievements. 

The game was full of energy on all sides, with the playoffs just around the corner. Both teams came out strong and aggressive in the first quarter. It was a well-rounded game both offensively and defensively. 

Going into the second quarter, the Otters had the upper hand by 4 points with a score of 21-17. 

 The ’Cats were constantly making changes through subbing, trying to find their offensive rhythm.  11 out of 18 points came off the bench in the second quarter. 

The ’Cats were able to tie up the score at 35 with 55 seconds left in the first half. The Otters edged out a last-minute layup, pushing them up two points going into halftime, 37-35. 

The third quarter was full of turnovers; the Otters had eight and the ’Cats had nine. The game turned chaotic as the fast offense met high-IQ plays from the defenders. 

Both teams only scored 15 points in the third; four of the ’Cats points were off turnovers. 

The ’Cats were only down two points going into the fourth quarter, 50-52. They showed composure and stayed true to their fundamentals, pushing the ball forward despite a full-court press defense from the Otters. 

The game nearly came down to a single shot as the ’Cats were only down five with one minute left. Unfortunately, they were unable to rise above and the Otters stole the game in the end. 

The ’Cats next game is the Quarterfinal of the CCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Kellogg Arena on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against the fifth seed, California State University, Dominguez Hills. 

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

Maya VanLaningham can be reached at [email protected]