Before Chico State’s No. 7 men’s basketball team began their road trip, they received bad news when they found out that starting guards Isaiah Brooks and Joshua Hamilton were deemed unable to play due to COVID protocols.

Junior guard Colby Orr said the team was able to stay calm despite the adversity that came their way.

“A lot of guys stepped up and did great things that helped us get the win,” Orr said.

The good news is that they haven’t tested positive for COVID and only had to miss one of their road games in the Bay Area.

The shorthanded Wildcats began their four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association road trip to San Francisco when they visited the San Francisco State Gators.

The Wildcats barely met the NCAA’s requirement of needing seven active players to enter a game with only eight players.

However, the Wildcats were able to bounce back from their crucial overtime loss to San Marcos and defeat the Gators.

Junior guards Colby Orr and Joshua Curls both started their first game of the season for the Wildcats while playing in place for Brooks and Hamilton.

The first half was all in the Wildcats’ favor as they headed into halftime with a 35-23 lead. They held the Gators to 26 percent shooting from the field and 25 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Sophomore forward Breenan Wheeler said the team knew if they kept them under 60 points they would have a great chance of winning despite missing two starters.

“We struggled at times, but we stuck together,” Wheeler said. “We were able to get a victory in a difficult road environment.”

During the second half, the Gators pulled one back and with five minutes remaining, the Gators sank in a 3-pointer to tie the game at 54.

With a minute remaining, senior hitter Malik Duffy had two free throws and put the Wildcats ahead, their defense holding the Gators to a scoreless streak for the rest of the game.

A pair of free throws from Orr would freeze the game and the Wildcats would win 60-56 and move to 11-1 on the season.

The Wildcats continued their CCAA road trip south to take on the Monterey Bay Otters.

The Otters have a special bond with senior forward Kevin Warren; as he started his college career there in 2016 and led them in points and 3-point shooting.

The Otters entered the game 6-2 in the CCAA, just one win behind the Wildcats.

Despite a halftime deficit, the Otters defeated the Wildcats 61-64 in Warren’s last game at his old school.

The Wildcats entered their game against the Otters with some reinforcements as guards, Brooks and Hamilton, cleared COVID protocols and returned to the starting lineup.

After the buzzer batter sank 3-point from Brooks, the Wildcats would head into halftime with a 40-33 lead. They would shoot the Otters in every facet of the game in the first half.

With five minutes remaining in the second half, Duffy’s shot put the Wildcats ahead 61-56. It would be the last time the Wildcats scored in the game.

Duffy said the team needs to get back to what they are good at, which is playing great defense and team-oriented offense.

“We need to get back to playing team offense and working together,” Duffy said.

The Otters finished the game with an 8-0 series. The Wildcats offense would stagnate and they would inflict their second loss of their season.

The Wildcats now go 11-2 this season. Despite two losses in their last four games, senior graduate assistant Ricky Delgado-Martinez said this team will learn from those games to improve their performance on next week’s road trip.

“Adversity is something this team can handle,” Delgado-Martinez said. “There’s still a lot of basketball to play.”

Duffy said this loss stings, but this team is ready to bounce back.

“We want to prove that we’re one of the top 10 teams in the country,” Duffy said.
Javier Hernandez can be contacted at [email protected] Where @jhm1226 on Twitter