Final Stats | PALO ALTO, Calif. – Trailing by 10 points midway through Thursday's exhibition at nationally-ranked Stanford, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team used clutch shooting and lockdown defense to kickstart a second-half rally that gave the Broncos a lead late in regulation. Stanford ended up prevailing, 79-76, but the thriling performance showcased what CPP is capable of.
The Cardinal ended up retaking the advantage with four minutes to play but the lead stayed at one possesion for most of the contest's remainder. CPP took over on offense facing a three-point deficit on the final possession but long-distance attempts from
Terrence Drisdom and
Jordan Finn fell off the mark as the Cardinal survived with the 79-76 result.
Drisdom led the Broncos' offense with 19 points and four assists, while
Jordan Faison joined him in double figures with 11 points and five rebounds. CPP won the turnover battle, committing 10 turnovers to Stanford's 11. The Broncos will continue their Pac-12 road trip with a Sunday exhibition game at Arizona. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. Pacific and the game will air on the Pac-12 Network.
A three-pointer from Faison and the Broncos were first on the board Thursday in Palo Alto. The CPP squad exhibited a well-executed game plan that saw the lead trade back and forth multiple times in the first half.
Head coach
Greg Kamansky's defense held firm as the two teams were neck and neck through a vast majority of the game. Drisdom registered nine points to lead CPP in the first half and after a run by Stanford, the score stood 42-32 in favor of the Cardinal heading into the break.
Daniel Rodriguez started the Broncos' second-half scoring with a three-pointer at the 19:12 mark. CPP continued to chip away at the Stanford edge and
Barry Bell knocked down a trey of his own just a few minutes later. With about seven and a half minutes left in regulation, Rodriguez turned a steal into a fastbreak layup that tied the score at 61-61.
After a Faison steal on the next possesion,
Ryan Hall sank a three-pointer to give the Broncos their first lead at 64-61. The Cardinal seized back the momentum and carried a 76-70 lead into the final two minutes. CPP didn't back down from the challenge though and with
Jordan Finn and Faison collecting back-to-back baskets, the Broncos cut it back to a one-possession game. A Drisdom layup with 28 seconds left trimmed the difference even farther but Stanford knocked down enough free throws to wrap up the three-point win.
From the field, CPP shot 47.5 percent as the Broncos sank 29 of their 61 shots. Ten of the 25 three-pointers found the net, and eight of 13 free throws were successful. Drisdom and Bell finished with four assists apiece.
The last time the Broncos faced a NCAA Division I adversary was to begin the 2010 season as they traveled to Durham, North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils. CPP was defeated by Duke 80-61 in that game.
