Box Score
CHICO, Calif. – Despite holding a lead through a good portion of the second half, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team couldn't hold off a late Chico State rally and fell Friday on the road, 62-58.
The Broncos trailed by as many as 11 points during the opening period but CPP bounced back in the second half to take a 50-45 lead on a Matt Rosser dunk with 6:12 to play in regulation. After that point though, the Wildcats put together a 10-0 run that featured back-to-back buckets from Jay Flores.
CSUC hit six of its final seven free throws, just enough to pull out the four-point victory. The result draws the two squads closer together in the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings. The Broncos fall to 13-9 overall and 10-8 in conference play, while the Wildcats improve to 13-10 overall and 9-10 through league action.
Of note in Friday's game, senior forward Donnelle Booker recorded his career block No. 135 to move into sole possession of first place in that category on the all-time CPP leaderboards.
The three-man bench for CPP outscored the team's starting five, as Mitchel Anderson's 15 points and Kevin Menner's 10 proved to be the lone double-digit totals for the Broncos. Dwayne Fells led the squad in rebounds with seven, while playing a team-high 35 minutes.
CPP outrebounded the hosts, 33-26, but the Wildcats' three-point shooting held up as the difference maker. Damario Sims and Flores connected on four treys each, with CSUC going 9-for-23 as a team. The biggest three-pointer of the game came from Flores, when he sunk a shot with 3:33 to play in regulation to put the Wildcats ahead, 51-50. CSUC held that advantage for the remainder of the contest.
The two teams engaged in a defensive struggle early in Friday's contest, as the Wildcats slowly pushed out to a 23-12 lead at the 6:26 mark in the first half. The Broncos' defense came alive after that though, holding CSUC to two points between then and intermission. Menner tallied CPP's final four points of the half, bringing the score at the break to 25-21 in favor of the Wildcats.
The Broncos continued to press onward in the second period, as a jumper from Tobias Jahn gave the visitors their first lead of the night at 16:46. Over the next 13 minutes, the two teams were tied on three occasions and exchanged leads three times as well. The third and final lead change came in the form of Flores' three-pointer.
The Broncos trailed by five points entering the game's final minute but a few missed CSUC free throws led to CPP gaining possession with 23 seconds to play while facing a 59-56 deficit. A three-point attempt from Booker was off the mark though and the Wildcats escaped their own gym with a win.
Up next for CPP will be a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday at Cal State Stanislaus. The Warriors, after losing to Cal State San Bernardino Friday, hold marks of 10-13 overall and 8-11 in CCAA play.
