With Chico State beating Saint Martin’s University, the win boosts the Wildcats’ record to 4-0 as they look to ride the momentum into their CCAA opener against San Francisco State on Dec. 4.

First Half-

The Wildcats jumped out to a 6-1 lead, scoring 23 points in the first quarter and led the half 41-26. Led by Whitney Branham, the sophomore guard scored 10 points on 3/6 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. Chico State never trailed in the first half and shot 44.1 percent from the field holding Saint Martin’s to 35.7 percent shooting. Saint Martin’s managed to get as close as five before Chico pulled away. The one blemish in an almost-perfect half of basketball was nine turnovers for the Wildcats.

Second Half-

Chico State started the second half strong with a 15-5 run that resulted in a 56-33 lead, and Saint Martin’s never got closer than 15 points as the ‘Cats went on to win 76-59. Sophomore forward Kayla Taylor scored seven points in the second half, as Chico shot 45.2 percent from the field. The Wildcats also shared the ball as they had eight assists on 14 of their field goals in the second half to just two assists for Saint Martin’s.

Top Performers–

Whitney Branham, sophomore guard: 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Kayla Taylor, sophomore forward: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

Irie Stokes, first-year guard: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists

Brooke Bowen, senior guard/forward: 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists

Jason Spies can be reached at [email protected] or @Jason_Spies on Twitter.