MONMOUTH, Ore. - The 19th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team used a 19-4 run late in the second half to pull away from host Western Oregon, securing a 69-53 victory to conclude the season's first week of play.
Charlene Popoff and
Sarah Semenero led the Broncos with point totals of 14 and 13 respectively, as CPP expanded a four-point edge with roughly 12 minutes to play to a 20-point margin as the two teams closed in on four minutes left in regulation. During that stretch, Semenero caught fire from three-point range and Popoff worked a strong inside game.
The Broncos ended up going 19-for-21 at the free throw line, the strongest percentage (90.5) since Feb. 25, 2006 for an outing with more than 15 successful attempts. Leading the way at the charity stripe were Semenero and
Rosslyn Beard, who each recorded 4-for-4 performances.
The win pushes CPP's record to 2-0, while the Wolves of WOU fall to 0-3. Up next, the Broncos will jump into California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play on Wednesday with a 3 p.m. matchup at San Francisco State.
The balance of the Broncos' attack was much stronger Saturday as compared to Friday's season opener. Against WOU, each of CPP's players that saw action collected at least two points. After Popoff and Semenero in the point leaders,
Jade Khuri and
Jennifer Bryant contributed nine points apiece.
The Wolves managed to hold an early one-point lead, 11-10, halfway through the first period. A layup from Broncos' freshman
Mian Dingle returned the advantage to CPP and the visitors wouldn't relinquish that edge. Dingle's score started a 7-0 run, which was continued on a three-point play from Khuri with a layup and a free throw.
Two late free throws by WOU pulled the Broncos' lead down to 32-26 going into halftime. The margin stayed in single digits through the first half of the second period, until a Semenero trey moved the score to 53-41 with 10:10 on the clock. That was part of the 19-4 stretch mentioned earlier, a run that featured two other three-pointers from Semenero and 7-for-7 shooting from the free throw line for CPP as a team.
On the afternoon, the Broncos' defense held the Wolves to 21.4-percent shooting from beyond the arc and WOU managed to get to the line just nine times, making six of those attempts.
CCAA/GNAC Challenge All-Tournament Team
Rylee Peterson, Western Oregon
Sarah Semenero, Cal Poly Pomona (Most Valuable Player)
Tessondra Williams, Cal State L.A.
Megan Hingston, Northwest Nazarene
