Sophomore forward Isaiah Ellis was unable to lead his team to a win over the Cal State L.A. Eagles, despite his three dunks and 23 points, as the ‘Cats lost 64-65 on Feb. 27, in LA.
This is the 12th game in a row that Ellis has proven himself to be a leader in the Wildcat offense, by scoring at least 10 points in the game. Along with his point production, Ellis also grabbed nine rebounds, made all five of his free throws and had a block in the game. The tenacity Ellis displays in grabbing offensive rebounds and going for second chance points has given him the offensive edge.
Ellis shot 9-13, making 69 percent of his field goals. Ellis was the leader on the fast break for the ‘Cats, making four points off the transition. He also managed to score eight second chance points and score almost half the points for Chico State in the first half, with 12 of their 27 points.
Despite Chico State scoring the first points of the game, they were unable to keep pace with Cal State L.A. and ended the first half trailing 27-32.
The Wildcats were able to take a one-point lead within five minutes of the second half, but were plagued by turnovers, ending with 15 in the game, compared to the Eagles’ six. Chico State missed their final shot of the game and lost by one point.
The loss is the final regular season game for Chico State, finalizing their overall season record at 22-5, and ending their conference at 16-4.
Robert Duncan had 14 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals in the game, leading the team in assists and steals. Tanner Giddings supported the team with 13 points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block.
The team concludes its conference with this loss, but will be playing in the CCAA Championship tournament Tuesday, March 1, in Chico. The game will be a rematch of the same two teams.
Kenta McAfee can be reached at [email protected] or @KentaMcAfee on Twitter.
