Box Score
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The 15th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team picked up an 80-58 victory on Saturday over Simon Fraser, as the Broncos concluded the non-conference part of their schedule at a two-day tournament hosted by Grand Canyon.
Dwayne Fells and Kevin Menner paced the CPP attack with 20 points each, as the pair combined to go 16-for-23 from the field while working with high-percentage looks at the basket.
The Broncos even their record at 3-3 overall, while SFU falls to 2-5 this season. After a 32.1-percent performance from the field in Friday's loss to Montana State Billings, CPP bounced back Saturday with a 56.9-percent shooting night.
With an 11-point second half, Mitchel Anderson provided a late boost for the Broncos' attack and ended the night with 17 points. He closed the night at 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, helping CPP to a 6-for-12 performance in that category as a team.
Defensively, the Broncos stepped up their energy as they worked to contain SFU's star guards – Ricky Berry and Justin Brown. Donnelle Booker came up with three highlight-reel blocks and collected a pair of steals in the evening as well.
Mark Rutledge, while earning extra minutes with the CPP bench limited because of injuries, netted three three-pointers and helped maintain the Broncos' intensity on both ends of the floor.
The game took an unfortunate twist just past the midway point in the second half as Menner and SFU senior forward Eric Burrell scrambled for a loose ball. Burrell fell to the ground after contact between the two players and an injury to his head and shoulder brought the contest to a halt for about 40 minutes.
The Broncos started strong out of the unexpected intermission, as a trey from Rutledge extended the CPP lead back into double digits, 62-50. The Broncos' offense continued to build up the advantage and the buzzer sounded with CPP up by 22.
Thanks to the performances of Fells and Menner, the Broncos ended with 42 points in the paint. SFU finished with just 12 points in that category, as the team's offense revolved around the guard play of Berry and Brown.
With an 11-day break from competition for the holidays, the Broncos return to action as conference play resumes on Dec. 29. With a 5 p.m. tipoff that day, CPP will host San Francisco State.
