CHICO, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona rallied for a slim fourth-quarter lead and held a large rebounding advantage, but Chico State made just enough plays down the stretch to come away with a 77-67 victory in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women's basketball contest Thursday night at Acker Gymnasium.

CPP falls to 5-12 overall and 4-9 in the CCAA. Chico State, kicking off a season-long four-game home stand, won a second game in a row to move to 9-7 overall and 6-5 in league play.

Cal Poly Pomona got off to a great start, registering baskets on each of its first three offensive possessions through a step-back Breanne Ha jumper, a layup inside by Monica Todd, and a driving lay-in by Ally Bates with the shot clock winding down. After Chico State finally got on the board, the Broncos notched the next five points again on a jumper and three-pointer by senior point guard Jayda Villareal, with a Todd steal in between. That forced an early timeout from the Wildcats, down 11-2.

That stoppage appeared to wake the hosts up a bit, and by the four-minute mark, it was just a 13-11 CPP edge. Villareal followed with her second triple of the quarter. A back-and-forth flurry of nine combined points over a 54-second span late in the period left the score at 21-18 in favor of the visitors after 10 minutes.

Four straight Bates points countered two Chico State free throws early in the second. An offensive rebound and put-back by Ciara James, and a wide-open, left-wing Bates triple from a crosscourt Ha assist, both on the backs of Wildcat turnovers, extended the run to 9-0 and the Bronco lead to double figures for the first time at 30-20. Five successive points by Chico State out of the media timeout, and back-to-back CPP turnovers, forced the guests into a timeout with 3:50 to go in the half.

Through a pair of deep makes by redshirt freshman Morgan Mathis, the latter in fact a four-point play, Cal Poly Pomona was still clinging to a 39-36 edge at the halftime interval. The Broncos tallied 17 points from 12 Wildcat turnovers, and had advantages of 22-12 in total rebounds and 12-2 in offensive boards at the break. Chico State actually shot an efficient 54.2 percent (13-24) from the floor, including five made threes.

CPP continued to hold a slim lead early in the third period, before consecutive three-pointers by Bailey Jones and Myli Martinez, around a Villareal layup, finally knotted the score at 43-43 at the 7:43 mark. A Charity Gallegos jumper moments later gave the home side its first lead of the contest. The Wildcats went on to make it a 9-0 run to grab a 49-43 cushion midway through the quarter.

Four points in a row by Todd was followed by two Chico State free throws, and then Ha and Jones traded three-pointers. The Wildcats took a 56-52 lead into the final period.

That last quarter began with an 18th Chico State turnover, and a Villareal-assisted Bates triple from the top of the key with a single second left on the shot clock. On the ensuing Bronco possession, they pulled down two offensive rebounds and got an Ayah League layup to retake a 57-56 lead. Mikaela Bismillah immediately answered with a three, however, for her first points of the night.

It ended up being another 10-0 burst, punctuated by a Martinez three, that made it incredibly difficult on the Broncos, down 66-57 now with just 4:18 left to play. The Wildcats cruised from there.

Bates led CPP with a game-high 16 points to go along with seven rebounds. Todd posted her second double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 10 boards. Villareal finished with 13 points after tallying eight in the first quarter, and collected four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Ha joined the in double digits with 10 points.

Martinez led Chico State in scoring with 14 points and had three assists. Gallegos had a double-double with 13 points and game highs of 10 assists, three steals and two blocks. Eight of Haley Ison's 12 points came in the opening period. She also had five rebounds and a block. Mathis contributed 10 points on 3-of-8 three-point shooting. For the game, Chico State shot 53.2 percent (25-47) from the floor.

CPP wound up with a season-best 26 offensive rebounds to just four by the opponent, for a total rebounding margin of 45-30. The Broncos made eight of their 10 free throws in the first half, missed their first three in the second, and finished at 63.2 percent (12-19).

Cal Poly Pomona stays up north and heads over to Turlock to continue this season-long four-game road stretch on Saturday, Feb. 5, at Stanislaus State (11-5, 6-4 CCAA). Tipoff at Ed & Bertha Fitzpatrick Arena is set for 5:30 p.m., with the men's game to follow at 7:30 p.m.

All CCAA basketball contests throughout this 2021-22 season are streaming live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. Fans may also download the CCAA Network app on your iOS or Android smartphone, tablet, or through web streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Roku or Apple TV. The CCAA Network has moved to a subscription-based model at just $9.95 per month. Subscribers have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 205-108 (.655) overall and 158-71 (.690) in CCAA play under 12th-year head coach Danelle Bishop ... Bishop's career mark is 343-193 (.640) in her 18th on-the-court season ... CPP began with the same lineup for the eighth game in a row, consisting of Ally Bates, Breanne Ha, Ciara James, Monica Todd and Jayda Villareal ... Bates is the only Bronco to start all 17 games ... CPP has used nine different starting lineups ... Todd's double-double was her ninth in the green and gold ... James' first-quarter block increased her CCAA-leading season total to a career-high 32 ... CPP's 26 offensive rebounds are its most since it also pulled down 26 in the 2016-17 season opener at Point Loma on Nov. 11, 2016 ... The Broncos are 2-7 away from home in 2021-22 ... CPP still leads the all-time series, 29-28 (11-14 in Chico), but has dropped the last four meetings after getting swept in the 2019-20 and 2021-22 season sets (67-63 in this year's first matchup in Pomona on Dec. 4) ... The Broncos are 13-9 against the Wildcats under Bishop (5-5 in Chico).