CHICO, Calif. – CSUSB seeks revenge in Chico State rematch from 2022 season in which the Wildcats were too big of an obstacle for the Yotes to overcome. The Yotes were 9-20 overall against the Wildcats going into Saturday's game with their last win being at home in Coussoulis Arena on January 3^rd, 2019, where they came up with the 88-72 advantage. The last meeting between the then No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams came in the Semifinals of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. CSUSB hadn't beaten the Wildcats in two conference meetings that season and proved the third time wasn't the charm. They won 91-82 on the Yotes' home court; a win that would help get them to the national tournament.

On Saturday, both the Yotes and the Wildcats were relentless against one another, battling it out for 40 minutes of regulation and three overtime periods. The Yotes would defeat the home team, who had previously been on a five-game win streak on their home court, with a score of 109-105.

With nothing but winning in mind, Brandon Knapper quickly put the Yotes up 5-1 in the first two minutes of the game. Yotes held the lead for just over 10 minutes until a layup from the Wildcats put them up 20-18. Several well-executed offensive drives from Chico State allowed them to build their lead by seven. Four different Yotes scored in a 12-5 scoring run, Elijah Hardy leading the pack with five points. A turnover by the Yotes in the final seconds opened the door for Chico State to take a 39-36 lead. 

The second half was nothing less than expected from these two teams. The Yotes had another scoring run, this time going 7-0 early in the half. Darius Mickens hammered home a dunk in the paint to put them up by two. Mahmoud Fofana further instilled that the Yotes meant business with a dunk of his own on the very next possession. From there it became a back-and-forth battle for dominance in Chico. A series of late fouls brought the score within one and a made freethrow from Fofana tied up the game at 81.

Chico State got the lead early in the first overtime, but Knapper kept the Yotes in it, scoring all seven of their overtime points. Despite a missed freethrow, Knapper put on a show offensively, going on to score 13 points over the next two overtime periods. The Wildcats took their last lead of the game in the third overtime before a layup by Eddie Davis gave the Yotes the lead and they never looked back.

Five Yotes scored in double digits on the night: Knapper (37 PTS) led both teams in scoring, Dontrell Shuler (19 PTS), Davis (13 PTS), Hardy (12 PTS), and Darius Mickens (11 PTS) earned his second double-double of the season with 11 rebounds. Fofana had the most rebounds for the Yotes (14) and was followed closely behind by Robby Robinson (12).

 
Up Next
The Yotes will go back home to The Den this week where they will face off against the Sonoma State Seawolves on Thursday, January 19^th at 7:30 PM and then follow that up with the Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks on Saturday, January 21^st, at 3:00 PM. You can purchase tickets here or catch the action on the CCAA Network at ccaanetwork.com.

To see the full CSUSB men's basketball schedule, click HERE. 
 
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