Box Score
POMONA, Calif. – With four players earning double-digit point totals, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team picked up its first conference win of the 2010-11 campaign by topping Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday, 75-65.
The Broncos will go into the new year with marks of 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Otters fall to 4-5 overall and 2-3 though league play.
Kevin Menner registered 23 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead CPP. The senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., went to the free throw line 14 times and knocked down nine of those chances. As a team, the Broncos shot a season-high 72.7 percent from the strike.
“Our defense was key to the game,” Menner said. “We forced them to throw up tough shots and kept them under control offensively.”
CPP jumped out to a 12-2 lead in the early going, helped by two field goals apiece from Dwayne Fells and Matt Rosser. The Broncos' advantage stretched as high as 22 points around the midway point of the opening half, when Mitchel Anderson dropped in a layup.
Menner managed to scrap for points in the paint and did a good job of drawing contact from the defense, as he went 6-for-7 from the free throw line during the first period.
On the final play of the half, the ball was deflected between players and Fells dropped to the floor to take possession. He made a quick pass to Terrence Drisdom with just a few seconds left on the scoreboard and Drisdom went hard to the glass while drawing the foul right before time expired. Drisdom then knocked down both of his free throw chances, sending the Broncos into the locker room with a 44-27 lead.
Between the 4:57 and 1:52 marks in the second half, CSUMB fired off an 8-0 run to trim the CPP advantage to 11 points. The Broncos kept their distance well with strong free throw shooting though to close out the 10-point victory.
The home squad finished 25-for-51 from the field (49 percent). Joining Menner in double figures were Fells with 16 points, Anderson with 16 points and Rosser's 10. Anderson nearly collected a double-double, as he tallied nine rebounds.
Working close to the basket proved to be the key for CPP, as the Broncos registered 34 points in the paint. From beyond the arc, they hit just one of their 12 three-point attempts.
Davion Berry led the visiting Otters with 23 points, 11 of which came at the strike.
CPP will return to action on Jan. 6 with a road game against Sonoma State at 7:30 p.m. Two days later, the Broncos challenge Humboldt State in Arcata, Calif.
