Box Score
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Behind the energetic play of
Charlene Popoff, the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team picked up its seventh-straight victory Saturday with a 82-75 decision over UC San Diego on Saturday night.
Popoff, a junior transfer hailing from Windsor, Calif., posted her first career double-double performance with 10 points and 14 rebounds. It marked the fifth time this season that a Bronco player has accomplished that feat.
“We finished strong in the second half and it was nice to see,” Popoff said. “We're still growing as a team and it felt good to contribute more tonight.”
With marks of 13-2 overall and 10-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, the second-place Broncos have kept pace with league leader Cal State Monterey Bay (16-0, 12-0 CCAA). After Saturday's loss, UCSD falls to 10-9 overall and 8-4 through conference play.
Trailing by seven points with just 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Broncos fired off a 17-0 run with Reyana Colson, Sarah Semenero and Popoff leading the charge. That six-minute stretch put CPP ahead, 74-64, and helped the visitors eventually snag Saturday's key conference win.
Colson finished with eight assists to go along with 25 points, including a 10-for-13 showing from the free throw line. Semenero totaled 14 points, while La'kenya Simon West contributed 13 of her own.
The Broncos' offense got going early during Saturday's contest, with a Rosslyn Beard three-pointer capping off an 8-0 run that was initiated by five-straight points from Colson. The key to CPP's early domination came as a result of team's prowess beyond the arc, as the Broncos went a perfect 4-for-4 in that category to open up play.
The host UCSD squad worked its way back to even though, as a three-pointer by Megan Perry knotted the score at 23-23. The Tritons built their lead as high as nine with about three minutes to play in the half but a trey from #J.J. Judge# stopped a Bronco scoring drought.
To close the period's scoring, Colson sunk a three-pointer to trim UCSD's advantage to just one, 41-40.
CPP finished the first 20 minutes with a 7-for-11 mark from three-point range and used nine offensive rebounds to get plenty of second-chance opportunities. Five of those nine boards came from Popoff.
The two squads exchanged leads out of the gates in the second half but a few minutes in, the Tritons were able to extend their lead back to nine. The Broncos didn't back down though as key buckets from Colson and Semenero kept the visitors with striking distance.
CPP continued to stay close with strong defense and the 17-0 run made all the difference. Instead of being down seven, the Broncos charged ahead to lead, 74-64, going into the final four minutes. Despite a late rally from the Tritons, CPP held on for the seven-point victory.
For UCSD, Lauren Freidenberg paced the hosts with a double-double night of her own at 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Up next for the Broncos will be a road trip back to Northern California for contests against Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State next weekend.
