A 36-point loss last season to Arizona State left the Wildcats yearning for revenge.

The Chico State men’s basketball team was unable to overcome Arizona State Nov. 6 and fell 70-78. It wasn’t a lack of effort on the Wildcats part. Chico State led 40-37 by the end of the first half and had the largest lead of the game with 12 points.

The fouls called on Chico State and missed calls gave Arizona State 36 attempts at the charity stripe, where it buried 31. Chico State had 10 opportunities and sank seven.

The game remained close due to the three-point shots by junior guard Corey Silverstrom, who earned nine points from behind the arc and finished with 15 in the game. Chico State ended up earning 27 points from the perimeter, while Arizona State made three of its attempts.

Chico State also won the battle on the glass in the game and in the consistency of its field goal shooting. Junior guard Jalen McFerren made an important contribution with his rebounding and ended up with nine in the game.

The exhibition match was a validation of the Wildcats effort to adapt their tactics after losing forward Tanner Giddings and center Chris Magalotti. Both players helped the team dominate on the glass last semester. The team was able to support itself by using veteran players and battling in the post, and by being efficient from outside.

The game against Arizona State signals the end of the exhibition matches for the team and the beginning of its preseason games in the Concordia University-Irvine Tournament No. 11.

Gabriel Moreno can be reached at [email protected] or @GabeSports3 on Twitter.