Box Score | BELLINGHAM, Wash. - In a matchup between two of the nation's top ranked teams, No. 5 Cal Poly Pomona suffered a season-ending 67-54 loss to No. 2 Seattle Pacific Monday afternoon as the Falcons knocked down 14 of their 28 three-point attempts against Division II's best defense.
The memorable 2012-13 season featured plenty of firsts for the Broncos. In late February, Cal Poly Pomona secured its first-ever outright conference regular season crown. Earlier this month, the Broncos captured the program's first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships tournament title.
With the team's overall record settling at 28-3 overall, that win total matches the program record set by the 2009-10 national championship squad.
"I'm very proud of our team," Broncos' head coach
Greg Kamansky said. "These guys represent our university in the best way and we certainly battled out there today. This group set a new standard for our teams in the future and that's hard to do with what our program has accomplished in recent years."
With All-CCAA guard
DeRonn Scott out because of a foot injury, CPP went just 3-for-16 from beyond the arc Monday.
Mitchel Anderson led the Broncos in scoring with 12 points while
Jordan Faison contributed 10 points off the bench.
With Monday's loss bringing an end to the collegiate playing careers of Anderson and
Mohamed Fall, the CPP men's basketball program says goodbye to two veteran leaders.
Anderson, the program's leader in three-pointers with 190, played 120 games with Cal Poly Pomona. He totaled 1,433 points to rank at No. 3 on the Broncos' all-time scoring list.
CPP and the Falcons traded the lead six times Monday with the majority of the contest played in a one-possession margin.
After SPU tied the game at 11-11 with a three-pointer, the Broncos bounced back with four-straight points of their own. Working effectively in the post with pivot moves, Faison dropped in a layup at the 13-minute mark to give CPP a 13-11 edge. On the next possession, Anderson tossed in a fadeaway jumper with the shot clock winding down to push the margin to five.
Sophomore guard
Bryce Brady provided a pair of key plays later in the first half. His second three-pointer of the period broke a 22-22 tie and on the next possession after a block by
Terrence Drisdom, Brady saved the ball from bouncing out of bounds to lead the Broncos' offense the opposite way.
In the final three minutes of the first half, the Falcons stepped up their game from beyond the arc. Jobi Wall started the game 1-for-6 on his three-point attempts but sank his final two of the period to help SPU close the half on an 11-6 run.
The Falcons took a 35-31 edge into the break and extended the lead to seven just a couple minutes into the second half. The Broncos then rallied for an 8-0 run, using tough halfcourt defense to lead to transition baskets on the other end. Anderson capped off that run with a huge fastbreak dunk, giving CPP a 41-40 advantage.
SPU took control down the stretch though with junior forward Patrick Simon leading the way. Simon collected 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while sinking four his six three-point attempts. The Falcons knocked down 14 three-pointers, matching the highest total for a Broncos' opponent this season.
Nonetheless, the future is bright for Cal Poly Pomona hoops. The 2013-14 Broncos' squad will feature All-CCAA honorees
Terrence Drisdom and
DeRonn Scott along with returning starters
Bryce Brady and
Barry Bell.
