POMONA, Calif. - With clutch shots down the stretch from both teams, Thursday's game at Kellogg Gym between Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Stanislaus came down to the Broncos' final possession with the score deadlocked at 65-65.
A foul committed by the Warriors with six seconds to play put CPP senior
Matt Rosser at the free throw line. He knocked down one of his two attempts, enough to lift the 23rd-ranked Broncos to a thrilling one-point win in front of a raucous crowd of 1,025.
It was a team effort for CPP, a squad that used a rebounding edge of 38-30 to create second-chance opportunities Thursday night.
Dwayne Fells and
Terrence Drisdom collected eight rebounds apiece, including five offensive boards from Fells.
Junior
Mitchel Anderson did a large part of the scoring for the Broncos with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Drisdom and
Bryce Brady finished in double figures as well, with respective point totals of 14 and 10. The crowd played into CPP's favor, as the fans were on their feet for the majority of the game.
The attendance of 1,025 sets a new record for the modern-era Kellogg Gym. Prior to the recent renovations starting in 2010, the largest crowd at a Broncos' men's basketball game in Kellogg Gym was 1,716 on Jan. 26, 2007.
Although the visiting CSUS squad managed to build up an early 9-3 advantage Thursday, the CPP offense overcame its slow start. Down 18-15 with 7:57 left in the first half, Fells tossed in a layup and Anderson followed that up five-straight points of his own for a 7-0 swing.
Holding their first advantage of the game, the Broncos extended it to 31-24 heading into intermission thanks to a 6-1 run to close out the period. In that stretch, CPP got buckets from
DeRonn Scott, Brady and Anderson.
That momentum for the Broncos carried into the second half, as CPP maintained a double-digit lead from the 19:29 to 11:56 marks. The Warriors' star player, Reggie Jones, came alive offensively though en route to his career-high 30 points. He collected 18 of those in the second half, helping CSUS pull to within striking distance of the Broncos.
With 2:55 remaining, Jones sunk a three-pointer from the left corner to pull the Warriors ahead by one at 63-62. Anderson came back with an equally-strong showing, converting a three-point play off a layup and successful free throw. Although that increased the Broncos' edge to two once again, CSUS' Marcus Walters struck for a jumper to even the score at 65-65.
The scoreboard stayed that way and after a missed trey from the Warriors' Dan Daviess, CPP got the ball back with 30 seconds left. Jones fouled Rosser as he dribbled atop the arc, sending the senior Temecula, Calif., native to the line.
Rosser knocked down the first, enough to eventually give the Broncos the dramatic 66-65 decision. Up next for CPP will be a 7:30 p.m. contest Saturday against Chico State at Kellogg Gym.