CARSON >> The rivalry between the Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball teams had been close as ever through two regular season games and one conference playoff game, but in the final postseason matchup it was the Wildcats that rose to the top.

The seventh-seeded Wildcats defeated the second-seeded Broncos 57-52 in overtime Friday in round one of the NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament.

Chico State (24-7) faced sixth-seeded Central Washington at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Western Regional semifinals in a game too late for our print edition. The winner advanced to the NCAA D-II West Regional Final at 7 p.m. Monday. The tournament is being held at the Torodome at Cal State Dominguez Hills, the No. 1 ranked team in the West Region.

The group of six seniors on the Chico State women’s basketball team were determined for their careers as Wildcats not to come to an end Friday, and in key moments head coach Brian Fogel leaned on them.

In overtime Pomona led 52-50 with 1 minute and 36 seconds remaining, but Chico forward Meadow Aragon was fouled with 1:01 remaining and made both free throws to tie the game at 52-52. Aragon, who played the entire second half with three fouls after getting two fouls in the first quarter, drew a charge on defense before setting up her teammate on the ensuing Wildcats offensive possession.

With 21.9 seconds remaining in overtime and the game tied at 52, Aragon found a cutting Jordan Allred wide open underneath the basket for a layup, giving the Wildcats their first lead in overtime at 54-52.

Pomona drive to the hoop for a layup with 15 seconds remaining and got the offensive rebound, but a group of Chico defenders grabbed the ball and forced a jump ball. The possession arrow was facing Chico’s direction, and the Wildcats inbounded the ball, and looked for their top free-throw shooters Allred or Makenzi Laporte. Allred got the ball and made 1-of-2 free throws, giving the Wildcats a 55-52 lead with 9.5 seconds remaining.

Pomona drove down court and tried to get an attempt at a 3-pointer, but the shot was missed and rebounded by Chico State’s Jadence Clifton. Clifton went to the free-throw line and made both free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining, increasing Chico’s lead to 57-52 and sealing the win.

The Wildcats’ jumped out to a fast start and led 18-8 after the first quarter and 28-19 at halftime, and led for nearly all of the game until the Broncos took a 48-46 lead with 3:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. There was just one basket made in the final 3 minutes and 17 seconds of regulation, and it was by Allred, Chico’s captain. With under one minute remaining Allred drove to her left and finished with her right hand under the basket with 41 seconds remaining, tying the game at 48.

The Wildcats played tight pressure on defense, and after a missed 3 pointer by the Broncos the ball deflected out of bounds off a Pomona’s Sydney Nelson’s foot. Chico had a chance to end the game in regulation with 9.3 seconds remaining. Fogel called a time out to move the ball across half court. Laporte took the inbound pass, but her pass was intercepted by Mydera Moore. Kalaya Buggs got one final chance to end the game and send the Broncos to the next round, but her 3-pointer was air-balled.

The game then went to overtime, just as anyone who has seen the two teams this season would expect. Pomona defeated Chico in overtime in Chico in early January, Chico defeated Pomona by five points in Pomona in early February and Pomona defeated Chico in the California Collegiate Athletic Association quarterfinals one week ago.

Allred had a game team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds for Chico State, Aragon had 12 points and four rebounds, and Clifton added 10 points. The Wildcats made just 2 of 15 3 pointers (13.3%) and 19 of 65 on field goals (29.2%), but shot 17 of 19 from the free-throw line.