Box Score | Postgame Quotes | BELLINGHAM, Wash. - With All-CCAA guard
DeRonn Scott out because of a foot injury, the call came from the Cal Poly Pomona coaches for someone to step up in the absence.
Terrence Drisdom answered the call in his NCAA Tournament debut and dialed in a career-high 26 points, leading the Broncos to a 69-61 first-round win over Chico State Friday afternoon in NCAA Tournament action. To view video highlights of the Broncos' victory,
click here. It completed a 4-0 sweep for CPP of the conference rival Wildcats this year.
"This just shows how tough we are," Drisdom said in talking about trailing early in Friday's game. "When we're down like that, we don't hang our heads and go through the motions, we just try to keep playing tough."
The victory advances the second-seeded Broncos into a second-round Monday matchup against third-seeded Seattle Pacific, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament champs and the No. 2 team in the country according to the latest Top 25 poll. Tipoff Monday is set for 2:30 p.m.
All-West Region First Team honoree
Mitchel Anderson collected 15 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's win. It marks the 13th double-double of his career and fourth in the last six games.
Freshman
Jordan Faison joined Drisdom and Anderson in double figures as he totaled 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Through this season, Faison ranks as one of the most efficient shooters in the West Region as he's hit 59 percent of his attempts.
The Broncos' men's basketball program is making its 10th all-time appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament and the seventh during head coach
Greg Kamansky's 13-year tenure. The most recent NCAA Tournament victory before Friday was the 2010 national-title win in Springfield, Mass.
At 28-2 overall this season, the Broncos have matched the program record for wins set by the 2010 championship squad.
CPP has made three different postseason trips through Bellingham during Kamansky's time as a Bronco and the team is now 9-0 all-time in that span.
Friday's matchup between the Broncos and Wildcats featured plenty of momentum shifts as the two squads exchanged the lead 12 times.
Rashad Parker knocked down three treys through the first eight minutes of play, lifting Chico to a 17-9 early edge. CPP stepped up its defensive effort later in the half, closing out the period on a 20-4 run.
The spirited play from
Barry Bell on defense led to easy Bronco baskets on the opposite end, including a
Daniel Rodriguez layup as the last basket of the opening half. Bell finished the day with two steals as CPP forced 15 turnovers from the Wildcats.
The Wildcats held the Broncos scoreless for three minutes late in the second half, turning a 10-point Broncos' lead into a two-point advantage for Chico. Faison snapped the scoring drought and a few possessions later, Anderson knocked down his lone triple of the contest to give CPP the lead for good.
Anderson and Drisdom combined to go 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final 12 seconds to help the Broncos fight off a late Wildcats' rally.
