The
Chico State men’s basketball team upset No.9 ranked Seattle Pacific University
Saturday, 73-70.
Click here to view a photo gallery from the game.
The win followed Chico State’s Friday night clobbering of Dominican University
of California that helped tip off this weekend’s Mac Martin Invitational at Acker
Gymnasium.

Despite struggling with the road team’s length and crisp ball movement, Chico
State was able to stem the tide, heading into the locker room facing a manageable 36-29
halftime score.

Chico State center Jordan Barton made good on a layup off an assist from forward
Amir Carraway at the 19:44 mark of the second half, keeping the ’Cats in
striking distance by cutting the deficit to five. A layup courtesy of Carraway
with only 3:59 elapsed in the first half effectively brought the game to a
43-43 deadlock.

Stellar offensive execution from Chico State guard Giordano Estrada, who went
5-of-9 from 3-point territory including a four point play opportunity late in
the second, helped keep the ’Cats out front in the closing minutes with a comfortable seven point buffer. Estrada would finish with a game-high 19
points.

The waning seconds of the match would turn into a free-throw shooting contest and
despite a Carraway miss at the charity stripe with nine seconds remaining in the game, Chico State would hold on and come away with an unlikely upset.

It’s sweet revenge for the ‘Cats, who suffered a gut-wrenching 79-47
loss at the hands of the Falcons last season. With Saturday’s win, the ‘Cats now improve to 4-1 on the season.

The Chico State men’s basketball team will try and make it four in a row when
they hit the road to face San Francisco State University Friday, Dec. 6.
The game starts at 7:30.

Taylor Maddox can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_sports on Twitter.