The Stanislaus Warriors took a devastating loss to their biggest rival, Chico State, on Friday night at the Stockton Arena.
A different group of Warriors came out of the tunnel on Friday night as they skipped the slow start and moved straight into a heated competition with Chico State. The match up would be a repeat of the elimination game the Warriors lost in the NCAA tournament last year.
Similar to last year, the Warriors held Chico State to a close game with the lead flip-flopping by a margin of four points or less, until Chico State managed to grab a seven-point lead after the first 12 minutes. But the lead was not permanent as the Warriors fought back with a mixed roster including three freshman, one junior and six seniors. At halftime, the rivals were tied at 35 points each.
Leading the team in the first half, Shey Mataele had nine points and two rebounds, followed by Wes Bartole with seven points and three rebounds. With two early fouls, Rob Walters only played six minutes in the first half.
Chico State may have out-rebounded the Warriors 19 to 12, but the Warriors only allowed seven turnovers, while the Wildcats had 12 which resulted in 15 points. Stanislaus was 3-for-6 from the three-point line and 2-for-5 at the free throw line. Chico State, on the other hand, was 4-for-13 from the three-point line and only 3-for-8 at the free throw line. The Wildcats were only slightly better than the Warriors going 14-for-25 shooting compared to the Warriors 15-for-28.
In the second half, the game was even closer considering neither team led by more than five points until the three minute mark. Chico State took a seven-point lead and then extended it to ten. The Warriors were 9-for-24 for scoring in the second half and 1-for-9 outside the arch. The high point for the Warriors came from the free throw line where they went 6-for-8 in the second half. The Wildcats were 10-for-17 scoring, 3-for-4 from the outside and 14-for-21 at the free throw line.
Ending their collegiate careers, Chris Read led the team with 12 points for the night, followed by Bartole with 11 points and seven rebounds, then Shey Mataele with 11 points. The other seniors included Rob Walters grabbing eight points, Tyler Barber with five points and Clinton Tremelling rounding out the list with no contribution after 11 total minutes of play.
“You don’t really replace them,” Coach Larry Reynolds said. “You just build another house.”