Sophomore Whitney Branham led all scorers with 20 points in the last season game against the Cal State L.A. Eagles where the Wildcats fell 83-61 at The Eagles’ Nest in L.A. on Feb. 27.
Branham started off the night hot. The sophomore guard knocked down four 3-pointers, giving her 41 treys for the season. Heading into the second quarter the ‘Cats cut Cal State L.A.’s lead to 22-20 heading into the second quarter.
After that, Wildcats mounted a 9-2 run, highlighted by Branham’s third 3-pointer of the game, to pull to 44-35 at halftime. As the third quarter rolled around, the ‘Cats were able to pull back from the 55-35 lead that the Eagles held with another Branham 3-pointer, bringing it to 59-45. Not able to pull further ahead they headed into the fourth quarter down 65-47.
Chico State produced one last offensive burst – baskets by sophomores Natalie Valenzuela, Branham, and juniors Sherise Porchia and Michelle Townsend fueled a 10-4 run that made the score 76-61 with 1:53 to play. The Golden Eagles sealed their win with a final seven points to bring the score to 83-61.
The Wildcats end the season losing 16 of its 22 games and will not be moving on to postseason play for the second year in a row.
Esther Briggs can be reached at [email protected] or @EstherBriggs191 on Twitter.
