Womack lifts womens basketball team past Dixie State

Hannah Womack lets a free throw fly in practice early in the season. Photo credit: John Domogma

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Chico State 70, Dixie State 68

· Points – Hannah Womack (17) Michelle Walker (11) Whitney Branham (10)
· Rebounds – Michelle Walker (5)
· Assists – Hannah Womack (5)

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Down a point with 5 seconds left in the game, senior guard Hannah Womack sunk a 3-pointer to seal the game for the Wildcats on Friday night.

In what was a back-and-forth game, Chico State’s women’s basketball team was able to squeak by Dixie State with a 70-68 victory.

The Wildcats got off to a great start, building a seven-point lead to start the game. Freshman guard Whitney Branham went 2 for 2 behind the arc to help Chico State maintain the lead in the first half.

Dixie State was able to rally back by out-rebounding Chico State 17-10, eventually tying the game 33-33 at the end of the half.

The Wildcats struggled for most of the second half, going through a drought that saw the team score just seven points in eight minutes.

The team was also hindered by foul troubles on two of their key players—Womack and senior guard Annie Ward. Both players picked up two early fouls at the start of the half.

Ward had a rough night, going 3 for 9 in the field for six points, and fouling out late in the game.

Chico State also had a hard time finding an answer for Dixie State’s 6-foot senior center Haileigh Emerine, who dominated the paint with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Despite all the adversities that they had to go through in the second half, the ‘Cats were able to keep the game close enough to steal the win.

With 14 seconds to go, down by three points, Womack picked up a rebound off a Dixie State miss and found Branham for a quick lay up to cut the lead to one.

After the score, senior forward Michelle Walker stole the inbound pass from Dixie State’s junior center Taylor Mann.

The ball ended up in the hands of Womack who scored a 3-point shot to win the game.

Womack finished with a game-high 17 points, along with five assists and two rebounds. Branham lead all freshmen with 10 points, going 4 for 10 in the field, including 2 for 5 on 3-point field goals.

Chico State is now 2-0 for the season, and will look to extend its winning streak on Saturday against Alaska Fairbanks.

Jose Olivar can be reached at [email protected] or @jpu_olivar on Twitter.