Box Score | POMONA, Calif. - With an inspired performance Saturday on Senior Night at Kellogg Gym, the 17th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team defeated Cal State L.A. 65-54 to capture the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season title.
With two regular season games still left to play on the road, CPP now has a 20-4 overall record to go with a 17-3 mark in conference play. This marks the Broncos' 19th CCAA regular season title in program history and first since 2002.
Prior to the game, CPP honored its lone senior
J.J. Judge. One of the best three-point shooters in the history of the university, Judge knocked down three more triples to raise her career total to 136.
Ariel Marsh recorded a game-high 26 points Saturday, knocking down five three-pointers along the way.
The Broncos played tough on the boards, outrebounding CSULA 44-42.
Ashley Lovett and
Jada Blackwell both recorded double-double performances, including 16 rebounds for Lovett and 14 for Blackwell.
With the CCAA regular season title in their possession, the Broncos' first playoff game is set in terms of date, location and time. CPP will play in the semifinal round of the
CCAA Championships at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7 at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena.
A three-pointer from Golden Eagle Paige Melville opened the scoring Saturday and the visiting CSULA squad slowly built a 9-3 lead with four minutes played. The Broncos rallied to take their own 17-15 edge after getting back-to-back threes from Marsh midway through the opening half.
The two teams combined for 24 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes as plenty of second-chance opportunities were afforded. The Golden Eagles found their own three-point rhythm as Samantha Lee knocked down two three-pointers to help L.A. take a 31-26 advantage into the break.
While
Ashley Lovett continued to bolster the Broncos' rebounding, Marsh helped carry the team's offense. As the lead bounced back and forth between the two teams, Marsh tossed in a triple at the 13:45 mark to give CPP a 39-38 lead.
Clutch three-pointers continued to drop for the Broncos, including several from Judge and a key one from
Lauren Goecke at the 7:12 mark off an assist by
Tyler Woods. CPP finished 9-for-19 from beyond the arc Saturday.
Goecke turned in an impressively balanced effort, playing all 40 minutes while totaling eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.
The first-place Broncos will return to action Friday with a 5:30 p.m. game at Cal State Stanislaus in Turlock.
