Box Score ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The Western Oregon women's basketball team had their comeback bid stopped short on Saturday, losing a tight 50-46 battle to the Chico State Wildcats at the CCAA/GNAC Challenge.
After trailing by as many as 17, it would be a pair of six-point quarters that sunk Western Oregon (2-2), going quiet offensively in both the first and fourth.
Chico State (4-1) pulled out to a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter, out-scoring the Wolves 16-6 in the opening period. Western led 6-4 after the first five minutes of play, but did not score again over the last 6:41 of the quarter. The Wildcats closed the first on a 12-0 run, shooting 50 percent from the field.
The Wolves deficit grew to its largest of the night at 17 points midway through the second quarter, trailing 28-11 with 4:10 left to play in the first half. That's when Western locked into gear, closing out the half on a 13-4 run to get back within eight at the break.
Shariah Green led WOU with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3-point range, picking up three rebounds along the way.
"Obviously not the outcome we wanted, but I'm really proud of our effort," said Western Oregon head coach
Holli Howard-Carpenter. "We didn't have an answer for (Maddy) Wong in the first half, but were able to take care of that in the second. We showed a lot of fight coming back from 17 down and were able to take the momentum going into the fourth. We struggled with their pressure and then didn't execute defensively."
Maddy Wong provided a game-high 17 points for Chico, hitting five 3-pointers in the game. She added on three assists and two rebounds. Wong was one of three Wildcats to finish in double figures in scoring, along with the 13 of Hannah Washington and 10 of Vanessa Holland.
The third quarter proved vital to Western's comeback bid, out-scoring the Wildcats 16-5 in the period and taking a lead to the fourth. Chico State shot just 12.5 percent from the field in the third, hitting only two field goals on 16 attempts.
Ahdra Klingler drilled a 3-pointer for WOU as time expired in the period to give them a 40-37 advantage going to the fourth – their first lead since halfway through the first quarter.
Fourth quarter woes continued to plague Western, scoring just six points in the final period. The Wolves shot 2-for-11 from the field in the fourth and ended with a 31.4 field goal shooting percentage. Chico State opened the fourth on a 6-0 run and never trailed again in the game.
Klingler scored 11 points off the bench for Western Oregon, hitting three of her five 3-point attempts on Saturday.
"Shariah hit some big shots in the first half to keep us in range and Ahdra came in and gave us a huge lift off the bench," added Howard-Carpenter. "Overall, I think we took advantage of our opportunities this weekend. I saw a lot of fight and growth so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks of practice."
Turnovers were an issue as Western gave up the ball 20 times compared to the 12 turnovers of the Wildcats.
With the loss, the Wolves finish the four-team CCAA/GNAC Challenge 1-1, beating the host Sonoma State Seawolves on Friday before Saturday's defeat.
Next up, the Wolves return home to host a pair of non-conference opponents. Texas A&M International visits Friday, Nov. 29, at 4 p.m. and Southwest Minnesota State comes to town Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2 p.m. PST. Both games are set to be held at NPE Gym.
