Box Score | POMONA, Calif. - Trailing at halftime Thursday was somewhat unfamiliar territory for the seventh-ranked Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team.
With the help of 1,304 passionate fans at a packed Kellogg Gym, the first-place Broncos put together a dominant second-half performance to top Sonoma State, 71-60.
To relive the sights and sounds of Thursday's "Pack the Gym" event,
click here.
"I was really proud of our team's effort tonight," CPP head coach
Greg Kamansky said. "Obviously our offensive firepower wasn't there in the first half but I thought that we stepped it up in the second half with turnovers and steals being key. The student support tonight was amazing and the crowd really helped our guys get the win."
The back-and-forth struggle between the two teams featured eight lead changes but in the end, it was CPP coming through with the clutch plays down the stretch. The Broncos now stand at 12-1 overall and 8-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
Mitchel Anderson and
Bryce Brady powered the Broncos' offense Thursday on the home court of the green and gold. Anderson nearly reached triple-double status as he collected 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high seven steals.
Brady finished with a season-high 14 points as he went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. His long-distance field goals constantly brought the CPP crowd to its feet.
Thursday marked the third time that the Broncos had trailed at halftime this season. CPP ended up outscoring the Seawolves, 44-33, in the second half and turnovers played a key role in the host squad's success.
The Broncos committed just seven turnovers while forcing 21 from SSU. CPP managed to turn those 21 turnovers into 30 points on the other end.
To start Thursday's game, the Broncos steadily built a 6-0 lead while holding the Seawolves scoreless through the first six minutes and 40 seconds. SSU worked its way back to tie the game 6-6 and that started the seesaw nature of the contest. After six-straight points from Jabri Jenkins late in the opening half, the Seawolves got their largest lead of the game at 28-21.
CPP snapped that run with baskets from Anderson and
Barry Bell, forcing the halftime margin to settle at 28-26. The momentum swung back and forth early in the second half before
Mohamed Fall completed a three-point play to give the Broncos a 35-34 lead at the 15:26 mark.
A three-pointer from the Seawolves' Patrick Scott returned the lead to the visitors but CPP bounced back with consecutive treys by Anderson and Brady to take control. The Broncos opened up a 50-39 lead at one point but SSU rallied back to tie the game at 56-56.
Once again, Brady was there with the answer. Another three-pointer from the sophomore out of Chatsworth put CPP out in front and that started a 12-2 run for the Broncos, who eventually closed out the seven-point win.
DeRonn Scott joined Anderson and Brady in double figures with 10 points and five rebounds.
CPP will return to action Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against San Francisco State at Kellogg Gym.
