The Chico State women’s basketball team has struggled to find a win in its conference, with a 0-2 record.
Despite the successful scoring nights of several players on the Wildcats roster, the team has fallen short because of turnovers and poor shooting. To avoid posting a 5-15 conference record as it did last season, the team will need to prevent a losing streak with a win against Humboldt State Dec. 9.
Humboldt State has lost its last three games and is currently 0-2 in its conference. The Wildcats and Jacks fought last season on Chico’s home court, but Humboldt State came away with a 73-67 win.
Humboldt State also did better in its conference than the Wildcats last season with an even 10-10 record.
Although Humboldt State was a stronger team last year, it lost eight seniors last season to graduation. Only one guard from the Jacks starting roster remains on the team, with 11 other unproven upperclassmen filling in the gaps.
The Jacks have been struggling to give their players experience early in the season, with each players time on the court still changing. Humboldt State is still changing its starting lineup to fix the 20 turnovers they allow a game and the 17 point average differential in scoring.
Chico State has a good chance to win its game against the Jacks if it can begin shooting a high percentage from the field. The Wildcats score an average of five more points than their opponent in games and shoot nearly 40 percent from the floor as a team.
The Wildcats have suffered the same turnover curse as Humboldt State, with an 18.8 average this season. Chico State does have the rebounding advantage over the Jacks, with an average of 42 rebounds per game, compared to Humboldt State’s 31.
An advantage for the ’Cats is the undefeated home record, with three consecutive wins on their home court. The Jacks have yet to win an away game this year, posting a 0-6 record on the road.
With an unstable starting lineup and a disadvantage in scoring, shooting and rebounding, Humboldt State will have several obstacles to overcome on the Wildcats home court.
Chico State needs a conference win to begin building momentum and avoid falling into a losing streak for the remainder of the season.
Lexi Hoedt can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_sports on Twitter.
