Published 2013-02-28T23:25:00Z”/>

Brett Appley

In another wild performance, the Chico State men’s basketball team won 67-66 against Cal State East Bay on Thursday, in a game with huge playoff implications.

Both teams started the first half hot on offense, but the Wildcats opened up to a five-point lead. Cal State East Bay shot 56 percent from the field throughout the first half, which made it extremely tough for Chico State to pull away.

The Wildcats out-rebounded the Pioneers by 10 and shot 46 percent from the field, which contributed to a slight lead of 37-35 at the end of the half.

The ’Cats looked horrendous in the beginning of the second half and fell behind Cal State East Bay 51-38 by the 14-minute mark. This put them in the position to play catch-up and slowly climb back into the game.

Streaky play brought Chico State within six, but the team was never able to fully recover until a minute was left in the game. With 1:17 remaining, Damario Sims hit a 3-pointer that cut the lead to one.

Chico State ended up with the final possession, giving Jordan Semple the opportunity to send the Wildcats home with their sixth-straight victory. He succeeded, hitting a jumper with 1.9 seconds left to put Chico State ahead for good.

Semple had an outstanding performance, scoring 20 points with 14 rebounds and three steals.

“It feels great, I couldn’t let my seniors down by not playing as hard as I could,” he said.

The Wildcats are now 16-9 overall and 13-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. They play again Friday against Cal State Monterey Bay in the final game of the regular season.

<hr />

<strong>Brett Appley can be reached at </strong><a href=”mailto:[email protected]”><em>[email protected]</em></a>