Box Score CHICO - Holding their own for the first half of the game, the Stanislaus State women's basketball team battled with Chico State before losing to the Wildcats 61-73 at the Acker Gymnasium on Saturday night. 

The Warriors are now .500 for the season, 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the CCAA. The Wildcats are now 3-2 and 2-0 in conference. 

Erika Larsen was the Warriors' leading scorer with 16 points going 8-for-11 from the field, a new personal best for the season. Zahria Hendrix had 14 points for Stan State and Lizzy Alexander scored nine points. Hendrix and Alexander each had seven rebounds, and Larsen along with Kaitlin Dadalt had four rebounds apiece. 

Hendrix was quick on defense against the Wildcats, grabbing seven steals for the Warriors. Caprina Pipion was also quick to react with five steals. Alexander led for Stan State with four assists and Larsen had four blocks. 

The Warriors held their own in the first half, holding a three-point advantage after the first quarter (17-14), and falling behind by a single shot (31-33) before heading into half time. 

The Wildcats shooting efficiency (50.0 percent) in the second half was too much for Stan State to defend, putting them into a 13-point deficit in the third quarter (46-59). With the Warriors shooting 35.5 percent, they struggled to close the point gap. A layup by Kyanna Davis and  jumper by Pipion decreased the gap to six points in the fourth quarter (54-60), but the Wildcats solidified their lead, maintaining a 10-point minimum advantage for the remainder of the game. 

Stan State did well from the field, shooting 40.3 percent as a team. 

Whitney Branham led Chico State with 20 points, her fifth time scoring 20 or more points this season. Kayla Taylor followed scoring 19 points. Taylor led with eight rebounds and Branham had six rebounds. The Wildcats shot 45.5 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line. 

The Warriors will be at home on Monday, hosting a nonconference game against Holy Names at 6 p.m.