CHICO - Cal State Dominguez Hills trailed by as much as 11, but came all the way back to defeat Chico State in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women's basketball matchup by a final score of 69-63, Thursday night at Acker Gymnasium.
 
Senior Destinee Williams scored a career-high 26 points with seven rebounds and two steals to lead CSUDH (9-10, 6-7 CCAA). Freshman Ariana Harper pitched in 14 points and five rebounds, and senior Ahlisha Henderson recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Haley Ison scored 24 points to lead Chico State (10-7, 6-5 CCAA).
 
"Another great team win for us tonight," said head coach John Bonner. "Our team was gritty, passionate and played with a sense of urgency for a majority of the game tonight."
 
The Toros got off to a rough start and fell behind by eight, 21-13, after the first quarter. The Wildcats grabbed their largest lead of the game, 29-18, midway through the second period. CSUDH made it a four-point game at halftime, 32-28, after outscoring Chico State 10-3 in the remaining five minutes before the intermission.
 
The Toros started the second half on a 10-2 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from senior Jasmine Phoolka, to take a 38-34 advantage and did not trail the rest of the way. The Wildcats tied the game at 44-44, but CSUDH responded with a 3-pointer from Janelle Sumilong to grab the lead right back. Chico State got to within two points, twice, in the fourth quarter, but the Toros were able to respond each time and ultimately prevail by six.
 
"We spent a lot of time this week discussing how to maximize individual roles and I thought we came together and accomplished that tonight." Bonner said.
 
The Toros will travel to and face Cal State LA on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. for their next game.