SEASIDE, Calif. - Behind a stellar defensive effort, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team rolled to a 64-35 road win Friday over Cal State Monterey Bay.
Exiting the court to cheers of "Cal Poly, Cal Poly" from the Cal Poly Pomona Pep Band in attendance at The Kelp Bed, the Broncos now turn their focus to Saturday's game at Cal State East Bay. For CPP, looking to avenge a defeat dealt by the Pioneers earlier this year, it'll be the final road regular season contest.
At 12-5 in conference play, the Broncos settle into a four-team tie for first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Both Cal State San Bernardino and Chico State picked up wins Friday to keep pace with CPP and Humboldt State.
With Friday's win, the Broncos clinch a spot at the CCAA Tournament, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 28. The final two rounds of the event will be hosted at UC San Diego. The victory also marked the 175th conference win of head coach
Greg Kamansky's CPP tenure.
Junior guard
Mitchel Anderson led the way once again for CPP Friday, collecting his second career double-double performance with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Broncos outrebounded the Otters 43-28 through the 40 minutes of play.
Joining Anderson in double figures were
Matt Rosser and
DeRonn Scott, who finished with point totals of 11 and 10 respectively.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end early Friday, as CPP staked a slim 12-11 advantage with nine minutes gone. The Broncos methodically worked their lead to double digits though before the halftime score settled at 29-20 in favor of CPP.
The Broncos' defense got even more stingy in the second half, when it held the Otters to just 15 points through the final 20 minutes.
The Cal Poly Pomona Pep Band, standing for almost the entire game, got even louder when Rosser and
Dwayne Fells combined for a give-and-go that ended with an emphatic slam dunk by Rosser at the 15:51 mark.
CPP played its best in the final 12 minutes, keeping CSUMB to zero field goals in that span.
DeRonn Scott racked up four steals to help the defensive effort for the visitors.
Up next for the Broncos will be the Saturday 7:30 p.m. matchup at Cal State East Bay.
