POMONA, Calif. - The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team put together a tremendous second-half rally Saturday against Humboldt State but ultimately dropped a 68-61 home loss to the Jacks.
The Broncos trailed by 13 points with just under six minutes to play but stepped up their defensive intensity to limit Humboldt to a 1-for-6 effort from the field through the remainder of the contest.
That shutdown defense trimmed the Jacks' lead to 63-61 with 30 seconds to play. Similarly to the two teams' meeting earlier this year though, Humboldt closed out strong at the free throw line while the Broncos went 0-for-2 from beyond the arc and those two factors contributed to the seven-point result in favor of the visitors.
Despite CPP struggling from the free throw line in the early going, the Broncos improved their performance in the later stages of Saturday's game.
J.J. Judge and
Rachel Hatch contributed identical 7-for-8 efforts at the line and
Ashley Boggs contributed a 4-for-4 showing. In the final 90 seconds Saturday, Hatch went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
Boggs notched her third-career double-double performance as she totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds. Judge delivered a game-high 20 points to go along with eight boards. Hatch added 11 points of her own.
The result drops the Broncos to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) while the Jacks improve to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in league play.
Rebounding played an important role in Saturday's contest and HSU ended up with a 46-38 edge in that category. Lisa Petty led the way as she ended up with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
The Broncos opened the first half strong with a Boggs three-pointer giving CPP a 10-8 lead at the 15:31 mark and then a Boggs layup pushing the margin to six points at 12:46. The Jacks countered well though, reeling off a 12-2 run with stellar play from Kelly Kime.
Humboldt's lead increased to as many as 14 but the high-energy play of CPP freshman
Cydnie Jones helped the hosts pull the difference back to single digits with transition baskets late in the half.
Out of the break, the Broncos slowly chipped away at the Jacks' advantage and a 6-0 run powered by Boggs and Hatch tied the score at 38-38 with 12:33 to play. The Jacks responded with a 13-2 spurt, helped along by solid free-throw shooting.
Humboldt held a double-digit lead even up to the 3:30 mark but CPP once again bounced back. The Broncos' defensive energy frustrated the Jacks a bit and a technical foul provided CPP with extra chances at the line. Judge and Hatch continued to convert there and Humboldt clung to a 63-61 edge with 30 seconds to play.
Once again though, the Jacks finished strong and outscored the Broncos 5-0 the rest of the way.
CPP returns to action Dec. 18 with a 2 p.m. game against Point Loma Nazarene. The game will be held at Azusa Pacific's Felix Events Center as part of a two-day APU Invitational.
