POMONA, Calif. – As is the case with most teams in the conference, Cal State San Bernardino could not find an answer for
Megan Ford.
With Ford recording her ninth double-double performance of the season, the 22nd-ranked Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team picked up a 59-51 victory Saturday over the Coyotes of CSUSB.
Ford totaled 22 points and 17 rebounds, marking double-double No. 18 of her career. This week, Ford totaled 34 rebounds in the two contests. Saturday's result pushes the Broncos' marks to 13-5 overall and 9-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
"We really just tried to work on our inside-outside game tonight," Ford said. "We wanted to use our shooters and it definitely benefited in the result."
Jennifer Bryant, coming off a career-best 17 points on Thursday, started the scoring for the Broncos Saturday with a three-pointer on the first possession.
CPP steadily built up an advantage, using a sizeable rebounding edge to create second-chance opportunities on offense and limit those gained by CSUSB.
Broncos' senior center
Megan Ford played a key role in the host team's 35-24 lead at halftime. Ford nearly notched a double-double stat line in the first 20 minutes alone. She ended the first period with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Coyotes used stellar three-point shooting to keep themselves within a single-digit deficit. Angela Streets sunk four of CSUSB's five three-point attempts in the first half. Streets finished Saturday's contest with a game-high 25 points.
Along with Ford, sophomore guard
J.J. Judge continued her sharp shooting in the closing period. The Roseville, Calif., native ended the evening with 13 points.
Ford sunk a pair of free throws with seven minutes left in the contest, bringing the CPP lead to its highest point of 55-40. She completed the night with just one miss at the free throw line out of her nine attempts.
A late Coyotes' run cut the Broncos' lead to 57-51 going into the final minute but
Charlene Popoff,
Rosslyn Beard and
Sarah Semenero grabbed pivotal rebounds to hold off CSUSB for the eight-point victory.
CPP will now start a four-game road swing, starting with a Friday 5:30 p.m. matchup at Chico State.
"With two weekends of back-to-back road trips, we just have to try and bring a high energy level at all times," Broncos' head coach
Danelle Bishop said. "It will be a tough test for our team."