Box Score | POMONA, Calif. – It might not have been 40 minutes of pretty basketball Saturday but Cal Poly Pomona got the result to fall in the correct column - the win column - and the Broncos have now been victorious in their last 11 games.
CPP committed 19 turnovers, the team's second-highest total this season, but shot efficiently while playing top-notch defense and rebounding well. That produced a 58-46 Broncos' win over Cal State Stanislaus, keeping CPP and first-place Cal State San Bernardino just one game apart atop the conference standings.
The Broncos limited the offensive potential of Warriors' star player Marcus Bell Saturday as he totaled just four points, marking the first time this season that an opponent has kept him in single digits.
The CPP attack was a balanced effort with
DeRonn Scott collecting a team-high 13 points while adding four steals to match his career high. Junior
Daniel Rodriguez led the squad in rebounds for the second-straight game, grabbing eight boards Saturday to set a new personal best.
The Broncos' defense continues to rank second nationally and it showed Saturday. It was the second time this year that CPP kept a conference opponent under the 50-point mark. Sophomore
Jordan Faison proved to be a disruptive presence in the paint as he tallied three blocks.
The host Broncos' squad never trailed in Saturday's game and came out firing, jumping out 7-0 with that run capped off by a Scott three. The lead widened to 20-5 before the Warriors chipped away toward the end of the half and CPP settled for a 28-20 edge at the break.
The second half included a 15-0 spurt for the Broncos as Rodriguez recorded six-straight points in that stretch. It led to CPP opening up a 45-23 advantage midway through the half. Stanislaus made a late charge down the stretch but the closest it got was eight points - 54-46 - with 1:34 to play.
Jordan Finn knocked down a clutch jumper to stop the Warriors' momentum and
Quentin Taylor added a pair of free throws in the final minute.
After finishing with a 40-31 advantage on the boards, the Broncos have now outrebounded 13 of their 16 opponents this season.
CPP will return to action Friday with a 7:30 p.m. road game at UC San Diego.