CHICO, Calif. — Jimmy Golden had a team-high 13 points for Sonoma State in a high-intensity defensive battle against Chico State in which the Seawolves lost 53-50 Saturday night at Acker Gymnasium in Chico. The Seawolves fall to 6-4 on the year and 2-2 in conference play after a would be game tying three by Jackson Gion was waved off at the buzzer, while the Wildcats improve to 3-1 in conference play and 9-2 overall.
 
The top two defensive teams in the CCAA in terms of scoring lived up to the challenge in Saturday night's low scoring affair. Chico State got off to a 7-2 lead at the 16:21 mark in the first half before the conference rivals would continue to trade baskets over the next several minutes. Sonoma State found themselves trailing 20-16 with 7:12 left in the half, and that is when the tables started to turn. The Seawolves would go on a 12-7 run, heading into the intermission with a 28-27 lead over the Wildcats. The Seawolves shot 11 for 24 (45.8 percent) from the floor in the half with Luke Cochran leading the charge with eight points on 3 of 5 shooting. Sonoma used superb defense to hold the Wildcats to 34.6 percent on 9 of 26 shooting in the opening stanza.
 
The Seawolves used the momentum they gained in the first half to open up the second half on a 6-0 run to increase their lead to 34-28. From there, the Seawolves attained their largest lead of the game at the 13:18 mark after a Gion three made the score 37-29. After Chico cut Sonoma's lead to four over the next couple of minutes, Sonoma found themselves up eight once again after a lay-up by Ronnie Harris, and a dunk by Stephen Dorsey increased the lead to 41-33. However, that is when things went south for the Seawolves, as the Wildcats went on a crucial 16 to 2 run, while forcing five turnovers over a six-minute span.
 
Now trailing 43-49 with only 3:14 left in the game, the Seawolves started to crawl their way back. After a Golden lay-up made it a four point game, Gion, and Khalid Johnson were both able to come up with critical steals to set up the offense. Golden was able to bring the Seawolves within two after sinking a couple free throws to cut Chico's lead to 47-49 with 1:36 left in the game. Chico was able to increase the lead back up to four with 15 seconds left, until Gion hit a clutch shot from beyond the arc making it a one-point game. Sonoma would foul on Chico's next possession, and Corey Silverstrom would hit both free throws to put the score at 50-53 with only six seconds left. Lucky for Sonoma, a solid three-point shooting team, they had the ball in their hands to have a chance to send the game to overtime. That is when Gion tossed up a highly contested shot from the right side, which he sank. Unfortunately, the officials waved off the shot, saying he got it off just a tad too late, ending the night with a 50-53 loss.
 
The Seawolves ended the half shooting only 32 percent, connecting on only 8 of their 25 shots. All told, the Seawolves shot 19 of 49 (38.8 percent) from the floor during the entirety of the game. Golden had six rebounds to go along with his team-high 13 points. Cochran chipped in 10 points of his own, and Gion had nine off the bench. Johnson tied for a team-high six boards, and added six points on 3 of 7 shooting.
 
The Seawolves also were able to hold the Wildcats to 6 of 21 shooting in the second half, good for only 28.6 percent. The difference in the half was the free throw differential, Chico connected on 11 of 18 from the charity stripe, while Sonoma went 4 of 6. The Wildcats shot 15 for 47 from the floor overall (31.9 percent), including a game high 20 points from Corey Silverstrom with 15 of those coming in the second half. The Wildcats were also able to outrebound the Seawolves 38 to 28 in the contest. 
 
The Seawolves will return to the hardwood on Friday December 30th against Cal Poly Pomona. The game will take place at Haehl Gym at Santa Rosa Junior college, tip-off set for 7:30 pm.