The Chico State Wildcats men’s basketball team lost their game against Cal State University Dominguez Hills on Saturday by a score of 73-64.

The game was competitive throughout but Dominguez Hills was able to pull away with a 38 point second half.

The Wildcats were on the right track at the start of the game as they were able to jump out to a 9-5 lead just three and a half minutes in the game.

Chico’s offensive unit executed well collectively in the first half as senior forward Marvin Timothy was able to collect a few rebounds early to give the Wildcats second-chance opportunities.

Sophomore guard Kevin Warren had seven first-half points thanks to a three-pointer and a pair of appearances at the free throw line.

Dominguez Hills was able to keep up as they were powered by an 11 point first half from David Howard. The Toro’s offensive effort kept the game knotted at 34.

Chico’s early defensive struggles in the second half seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game. They gave up three fouls within a three-minute span which gave the Toros valuable free throw opportunities and momentum.

The x-factor in this game was the 10 unanswered points run by Dominguez Hills six minutes into the second half.

The Wildcats bench did their part and performed well as a unit on both ends of the court and they were able to cut the Toro lead to just three points with 13 minutes left.

The push from the bench wasn’t enough to keep it close and Chico found themselves in an 11 point deficit with just seven minutes in the game left.

Dominguez Hills closed out the game thanks to their defensive effort and some good free throw shooting due to Chico’s need to foul late in the game to keep their hopes alive.

Isaiah Brooks led the Wildcats with 21 total points and Marvin Timothy was able to grab ten rebounds and led Chico in that category.

While this game is a major hit on the Wildcat’s playoff hopes it does not put them out of contention.

The team will need to win their next two games and have Humboldt State drop their next two games to secure a playoff spot.

Chico will continue their quest in a must-win game against San Francisco State this Thursday at Acker Gymnasium. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 PM.

Matthew Ferreira can be reached at [email protected] or @MattFerreira_ on Twitter.