ST. GEORGE, Utah — The Chicago State women's basketball team (3-14, 2-6 WAC) dropped its matchup with Dixie State, 82-70, on Saturday at Burns Arena.
Aaliyah Collins scored 22 points and racked up four steals to lead the Cougars, while
Kyjai Miles added 14 and seven boards.
Quentarra Mitchell snagged 10 rebounds.
In the first quarter, Cougars came out firing first. After a scoreless two minutes, Miles nailed a jumper to lift CSU ahead, 2-0. The two sides then traded blows, with Miles, Collins and
Jazmine Covington all hitting shots as the game worked to a 13-9 Chicago State lead at the 3:58 mark.
Collins then drilled a hard-charging layup to make it 15-9 before the Trailblazers stormed back with a 10-0 run to take a 19-15 lead at the end of the first. Talia Sireni and Vegas Camacho both buried threes during the stretch.
Quarter two kicked off with a
Nafatoumata Haidara layup and a Collins stepback for the Cougars, who still trailed, 27-19 after three minutes.
Laura Segues then delivered a trey to edge closer, but Dixie State again punched back, taking a 34-23 lead behind Sireni.
But then the Cougars roared. Miles, Collins and Mitchell spearheaded an 8-0 spurt to pull to within three, and another Segues three made it 37-34 Dixie State at the half.
Chicago State's offense hit a stride to start the third. The Cougars edged ahead, 43-42, as the five-minute mark approached.
Ana Haklicka added a layup during the stretch. But again, Dixie State had an answer. The Trailblazers got a three-ball from Shanaijah Davison to tie the game at 47 after Collins sunk another layup. Davison then scored four more points to make it Dixie State 51, Chicago State 47 at the two-minute mark.
But Dixie State closed the quarter on a roll, outscoring CSU 8-1 to edge ahead, 59-48, entering the fourth.
Collins continued to roll for the Cougars throughout the fourth, but Dixie State held firm with a double-digit lead, eventually winning, 82-70.
Next up for the Cougars is a two-game homestead, starting with Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. against Abilene Christian, which is the program's Faculty/Staff Education Game. Saturday's 1:00 p.m. game vs. Tarleton is our Pink Game at the Jones Convocation Center.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year.?
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