“We played really hard tonight and put forward a tough effort for 40 minutes,” starting center Mckenna Barker said. “Although we slipped up a couple times, we fought the whole game and that is what matters. We just have to keep battling and fighting to get into the conference tournament.”
Chico State women’s basketball fell to the CSU Dominguez Hills Toros on the road Saturday. The fixture, which saw stiff competition and several standout performances from both squads, required a period of overtime to determine the victor.
Which despite competitive play from the Wildcats, was the Toros. Who got hot early in the extra period and eventually pulled away for an 86-76 victory.
However, despite the loss, several Wildcats shined brightly. With four players able to reach double digits in scoring, Chico demonstrated just how deep their team is.
With players such as center McKena Barker, who quietly amassed a team-high 11 rebounds, while contributing five assists and 14 points on a highly efficient 50 percent shooting from the field.
“Yeah, I felt like our team energy was great in warmups and we had a good practice yesterday and at shootaround this morning in preparation,” Barker said. “It just comes down to execution and finishing.”
Guard Madison Wong contributed 18 points while putting on an absolute display from beyond the three-point line. Where she finished with five total threes on an impressive 50 percent shooting.
Forward Natalie Valenzuela splashed in 15 points on 6-9 shooting from the field while also being an imposing presence defensively with five blocks.
Production came from everywhere on Chico States’ team.
Barker says that the goal of the team is to keep their heads high and have a good week of practice.
With two vital games approaching for the Wildcats at home they find themselves fighting for a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament (CCAA) this season. Two wins would go a long way to helping their bid.
Chico State will look to defend their home court this Thursday as they take on San Francisco State University. The Wildcats are in must-win mode as they try to finish their regular season on a positive note and push into the CCAA tournament.
Noah Andrews can be reached at [email protected] or @SPORTSFROMNOAH1 on Twitter.
