2008 Woodie Awards
Men's basketball scare Division I Tigers in loss
By: Orion Staff
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Sports
The men's basketball team ended its preseason with a close game against Division I University of the Pacific in a 52-46 loss Saturday.
The Tigers started the game off with a 5-0 run and finished the final four minutes of the first half with a 7-1 run to lead the Wildcats 29-14. In the second half, the 'Cats found themselves with a 5-0 burst of their own, but were still trailing 41-25 with just more than 12 minutes remaining.
"I thought we played good, we were just a little slow to start," senior Robert Ash said. "Then we locked down on D and started hitting our shots."
Chico State closed the gap even more with a 13-0 stretch as 5 minutes, 53 seconds were left on the clock after an Andy Bocian score. Bocian scored two more points just minutes later to cut the lead to three, but the 'Cats were unable to pass up the Tigers and found themselves down six as time expired.
The Wildcats were led by Zach Graves, who had a team-high 13 points on 4-7 shooting, and Bocian, who put up 12 points and seven rebounds.
"We need to get better at making shots," head coach Greg Clink said. "That's what's keeping us from scoring more than 49 against USF and 46 against UOP. Not that we're not taking good shots, they're just not falling yet, but they will."
The 'Cats shot 32.6 percent from the field and held their opponents to 31.9 percent from the floor.
"We showed that we could have a bad night on offense and still be in the game," sophomore Josh Jackson said. "As long as we do what coach tells us and play hard, we are going to put ourself in a position to win a lot of games."
The 'Cats also forced 21 Tiger turnovers while committing 17 of their own.
"Our defense looks really good," Clink said. "That's a thing we've been spending a majority of our focus on and I was really pleased with how we competed."
This game gave the Wildcats tremendous confidence going into the start of the season, he said. They hope to be one of the more competitive defensive teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
Chico State is picked to finish eighth in the conference, but with a new coach and the team's defensive mindset, anything is possible.
"The two exhibition games were good preparation," Ash said. "We just need to keep going to practice and keep building."
The Wildcats begin their regular season Saturday at Seattle University and then Sunday against Saint Martin's University.
"The team looks ready for the season this year - we are really close," Jackson said. "It is more like a brotherhood. We all want to see each other succeed and we're ready to go to battle."
The Tigers started the game off with a 5-0 run and finished the final four minutes of the first half with a 7-1 run to lead the Wildcats 29-14. In the second half, the 'Cats found themselves with a 5-0 burst of their own, but were still trailing 41-25 with just more than 12 minutes remaining.
"I thought we played good, we were just a little slow to start," senior Robert Ash said. "Then we locked down on D and started hitting our shots."
Chico State closed the gap even more with a 13-0 stretch as 5 minutes, 53 seconds were left on the clock after an Andy Bocian score. Bocian scored two more points just minutes later to cut the lead to three, but the 'Cats were unable to pass up the Tigers and found themselves down six as time expired.
The Wildcats were led by Zach Graves, who had a team-high 13 points on 4-7 shooting, and Bocian, who put up 12 points and seven rebounds.
"We need to get better at making shots," head coach Greg Clink said. "That's what's keeping us from scoring more than 49 against USF and 46 against UOP. Not that we're not taking good shots, they're just not falling yet, but they will."
The 'Cats shot 32.6 percent from the field and held their opponents to 31.9 percent from the floor.
"We showed that we could have a bad night on offense and still be in the game," sophomore Josh Jackson said. "As long as we do what coach tells us and play hard, we are going to put ourself in a position to win a lot of games."
The 'Cats also forced 21 Tiger turnovers while committing 17 of their own.
"Our defense looks really good," Clink said. "That's a thing we've been spending a majority of our focus on and I was really pleased with how we competed."
This game gave the Wildcats tremendous confidence going into the start of the season, he said. They hope to be one of the more competitive defensive teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
Chico State is picked to finish eighth in the conference, but with a new coach and the team's defensive mindset, anything is possible.
"The two exhibition games were good preparation," Ash said. "We just need to keep going to practice and keep building."
The Wildcats begin their regular season Saturday at Seattle University and then Sunday against Saint Martin's University.
"The team looks ready for the season this year - we are really close," Jackson said. "It is more like a brotherhood. We all want to see each other succeed and we're ready to go to battle."
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