CHICO — (March 1) Humboldt State hung close with No. 13 nationally ranked Chico State for much of the game, but could not overcome offensive dry spells and turnovers in a 72-50 loss Thursday in California Collegiate Athletic Association women's basketball action.

The Lumberjacks fall to 16-10 overall and 11-10 in the CCAA while the Wildcats improve to 20-4 overall and 17-4 in  league play.

In a first half plagued by 24 total turnovers, it was Katie Wilder for Humboldt State and Amber Simmons for Chico State providing the bulk of the scoring for their respective teams.

After Mia Spasowska nailed a three pointer from the corner in the opening minutes, the Jacks went cold from the field until the 11:29 mark when Wilder made it a 12-7 game with a three pointer of her own. Buckets by Haley Andrews and Wilder made it a 24-22 game with 3:18 remaining.

Simmons did the majority of the damage inside for the Wildcats, netting 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Niki Simons chipped in seven points as Chico State took a 29-22 lead into the half.

In the second half, the Jacks quickly cut the lead back down to two points, but Chico State rattled off 11 straight points to take a 13-point advantage.

Humboldt cut the deficit to single-digits on numerous occasions, but the Wildcats answered every Lumberjack run with a bucket of their own. Chico netted 30 points off of HSU's 24 turnovers, many in the final minutes of the game as the Wildcats ran away with the 22-point win.

Andrews provided a huge spark off the bench for the Jacks, contributing a season-high 12 points. Wilder scored all 13 of her points in the first half while Spasowska also added 13.

Simmons finished the night with a game-high 22 points  while Simons and Renee Goldoff added 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Humboldt closes out regular-season play Saturday in Turlock, facing Cal State Stanislaus at 5:30 p.m. Still clinging to the No. 8 spot in the West Region, the Lumberjacks need a win Saturday to hold onto any chance of making the regional tournament.

Humboldt State vs Chico State
03/01/07 5:30 p.m. at Acker Gym - Chico, Calif.
CHICO STATE 72, HUMBOLDT STATE 50
HUMBOLDT STATE (16-10,11-10 CCAA)
WILDER, Katie 5-12 1-2 13; SPASOWSKA, Mia 5-7 1-2 13; ANDREWS, Haley 5-11 2-3 12; O'KEEFE, Kristina 2-4 0-1 4; ARGANDA, Biava 2-8 0-0 4; PETERSON, Paige 1-3 0-0 2; HAAYER, Jessica 1-2 0-0 2; ENOS, Jennifer 0-7 0-0 0; KILGORE, Taylor 0-1 0-0 0; NELSON, Claudia 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-57 4-8 50.
CHICO STATE (21-4, 17-4 CCAA)
SIMMONS, Amber 7-10 8-10 22; SIMONS, Niki 5-13 0-0 12; GOLDOFF, Renee 5-8 0-0 10; EDWARDS, Cory 2-3 4-6 8; SPENCER, Audriana 3-8 0-0 7; RICHARDSON, Melissa 3-7 0-0 6; SMITH-WILLIAMS, Jade 2-4 1-3 5; KARCHER, Teresa 1-1 0-0 2; BURT, June 0-0 0-0 0; MONTEITH, Amanda 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-54 13-19 72.
Humboldt State................   22   28  -   50
Chico State...................   29   43  -   72
3-point goals-Humboldt State 4-12 (WILDER, Katie 2-3; SPASOWSKA, Mia 2-2; ARGANDA, Biava 0-2; HAAYER, Jessica 0-1; ENOS, Jennifer 0-3; KILGORE, Taylor 0-1), Chico State 3-13 (SIMONS, Niki 2-5; SPENCER, Audriana 1-5; RICHARDSON, Melissa 0-3). Fouled out--Humboldt State-None, Chico State-None. Rebounds-Humboldt State 33 (SPASOWSKA, Mia 5), Chico State 30 (SIMMONS, Amber 7). Assists-Humboldt State 10 (ENOS, Jennifer 3), Chico State 16 (SIMONS, Niki 3; GOLDOFF, Renee 3; EDWARDS, Cory 3). Total fouls-Humboldt State 15, Chico State 13. A-786

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