Box Score | SEASIDE, Calif. - Behind clutch free-throw shooting and shutdown defense, the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team extended its winning streak to three games with an impressive 52-47 victory Friday over Cal State Monterey Bay.
The Broncos trailed by seven points with eight minutes to play but rallied to close the game on an 18-6 run. CPP held the Otters to just one field goal in that span. CSUMB managed to make it a one-possession game on two different occasions in the final minute but
Rachel Hatch and
Jennifer Bryant knocked down key free throws to lead the visitors to victory.
The result lifts the Broncos ahead of the Otters in the conference standings as CPP improves to 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
Bryant finished with a team-high 14 points. Her final two points came on free throws, which actually turned out to be her first two attempts of the season. Sophomore
Mian Dingle joined Bryant in double figures with 10 points of her own.
The CPP offense clicked early in Friday's game as the visitors opened the scoring with
Ashley Boggs dishing a pass to
J.J. Judge for an easy layup. Just a couple minutes later, Boggs added another assist when Hatch dropped in a two-point attempt to put the Broncos ahead 5-4.
With eight minutes played, CPP held a slim 12-11 lead after Angelique Bailey dropped in a layup for the Otters. The Broncos' offense found its rhythm through the next five minutes as back-to-back baskets from Bryant started a 8-1 run for CPP.
The host CSUMB squad seized a bit of momentum late in the period, closing the half on a 6-0 spurt to tie the score at 24-24 heading into the break. The Otters knocked down eight of their 10 free-throw attempts in the first half.
As the CPP offense stumbled out of the gates in the second half, CSUMB grabbed its largest lead of the game after Holly Holcomb tossed in a jump shot to put the score at 41-34.
The Broncos bounced back with a tremendous rally led by Bryant and Dingle. Dingle knocked down a fadeaway jumper from the right side to initiate a 14-0 run for CPP. Despite the Otters closing the margin to three points on two different occasions in the final minute, the Broncos finished strong to wrap up the five-point win.
CPP held the host squad to an 0-for-10 performance from three-point range and the Broncos also forced the Otters to commit 20 turnovers.
The Broncos will continue their road trip with a 5:30 p.m. game Saturday at Cal State East Bay. The Pioneers topped Humboldt State Friday, 66-54.
