POMONA, Calif. - With Thursday's 96-48 rout of Pacifica College, the 11th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team is 6-0 and off to its best start in program history.
Six Broncos scored in double figures as the team shot 60.9 percent from the floor and 57.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Bryce Brady led the way, knocking down six three-pointers to a career high of 18 points to go along with five assists. It's been almost four years since a CPP player hit six treys, the last time being Jan. 5, 2008, when Angelo Tsagarakis notched that same amount.
The Broncos, 6-0 overall and 3-0 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action, will resume conference play later this month with road matchups at Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego. The visiting PC squad falls to 2-11 on the year with Thursday's result.
Joining Brady in double figures were
Mitchel Anderson (16),
Dwayne Fells (13),
Andrew Steel (12),
Terrence Drisdom (12) and
Tyquan Brown (11). Five players set new career highs in points Thursday, including Brady, Steel, Brown,
Connor Gacek (six) and
Bob Brakeville (six).
Brown starred on defense as well, collecting four blocks and adding seven rebounds.
The CPP offense got going early, earning the hosts a double-digit lead less than six minutes into play. Brady nailed back-to-back three-pointers to start the contest and also posting a strong first half was Fells, who went 4-for-4 from the floor through the opening 20 minutes. The senior forward from Fullerton, Calif., finished the game a perfect 6-for-6.
A three-pointer from Anderson with 2:05 remaining in the half pushed the Broncos' advantage to 28 but the margin settled at 47-23 heading into the break.
Moving into the second period, the gap continued to widen though between the two teams. With CPP up 25 with about six minutes gone in the second, the Broncos posted an 11-2 run to take a 72-38 lead. That stretch started with a dunk from Drisdom and ended with a slam by Brown, both plays bringing the Kellogg Gym crowd to its feet.
Not to be outdone, Steel closed out the CPP scoring on the night with a dunk of his own to top out the hosts' lead at 50 points, 96-46. A Gladiators' layup just before the buzzer brought the final score to 96-48.
Up next for the Broncos will be the Dec. 29 matchup at Cal State San Bernardino. The Coyotes also own an undefeated record within the CCAA.
