POMONA, Calif. – After celebrating the achievements of the Broncos' four senior student-athletes, the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team outworked Cal State Dominguez Hills Friday for a 62-48 win to conclude the regular season.
At 15-7 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, the Broncos will now enter the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed. CPP will host No. 6 Cal State L.A. 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kellogg Gym. The winner will move on to the semifinal round at UC San Diego on Friday, March 2.
Senior guard
Sarah Semenero led the way Friday for the Broncos' offense, totaling 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting while also adding six rebounds and three assists.
Although CPP shot just 35.7-percent as a team, the Broncos used a 44-34 rebounding edge to create second-chance opportunities. Senior guard
Rosslyn Beard led in that category with eight boards, matching her career high, while fellow fourth-year
Charlene Popoff added seven of her own.
Continuing with the stellar senior performances,
Megan Ford finished as the team's second-leading scorer on Friday with 15 points. The center from Newhall, Calif., hit seven free throws in her 10 attempts.
Both offenses started out slow Friday, with CPP holding a slight 13-11 edge after 12 minutes of action. The Broncos picked up their level of play toward the end of the half, as a three-pointer from
Mian Dingle put the hosts up 12 before a late free throw from Beard pushed the score to 33-20 going into the break.
The Toros found a bit of momentum early in the second period, putting together a 12-2 run between the 18:01 and 11:22 marks to make it a one-possession game at 38-35.
Led by the energy of the four seniors, the CPP defensive intensity reached a higher level and the Broncos finished strong to secure the 14-point victory.