POMONA, Calif. – A buzzer beater three ended the game on Thursday as the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters defeated the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos. Despite a late surge, the CPP men's team was unable to hold on for the win.
 
The loss for the Broncos was just their fifth of the season as they have secured an 18-5 overall record complete with an 11-5 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). CSUMB's victory improves them to an even season tally at 11-11 and they now hold a 9-7 mark in conference matchups.
 
CPP's offense fired away in the contest and was more efficient than the visiting Otters as they sank 44.3% of their shots while limiting CSUMB to 39.1%. Beyond the three point line the CSUMB squad excelled as they sank 6-of-22 and the Broncos made just 3-of-20.
 
The visitors to Kellogg Arena came out of the gates firing and they led the Green and Gold through 93.1% of the contest. Early in the first half they saw their largest lead as the Broncos would soon push back. That deficit for CPP was nine points and it came with just 6:11 gone from the game clock.
 
CPP's bench was an excellent contributor in the contest as they added 24 points in the game. Leading the way for the Broncos' offense was Jordan Faison, the senior tallied a double-double as he racked up 18 points on a 7-for-12 performance from the field and 12 rebounds.
 
Following the Lake Forest native in the point tally was freshman Jordan Ogundiran who sank 13 points of his own. He did so on a 4-for-9 showing, complete with a pair of threes and three good shots from the free throw line.
 
The Otters started the contest on a seven-point run which left the Broncos at a disadvantage for the first ten minutes in the game. CPP did put together an eight-point run of its own later in the half to pull just one shy and ever tied the game at 20-20 with a layup from Quentin Taylor, one of his eight points in the contest.
 
Following the rest of the contest, one would see the Otters continue to push hard through the entire game. The hometown Broncos weren't able to gain the lead until there was just 8:36 left on the game clock. CPP traded the lead a few times then with the Otters and the game ultimately came down to its final seconds.
 
With the score at 64-62 in CSUMB's favor and 12 seconds on the clock, Ogundiran fired in a three pointer to give the Broncos a one-point advantage over the opposition. CSUMB got the ball back and their final possession saw a missed jumper and a buzzer-beater three from one of their four players to reach double-digit points to end the game at 67-65.
 
CPP will return to action on Saturday as they host Cal State East Bay for a 7:30 p.m. contest. Cal Poly Pomona Athletics will be holding Special Olympics Recognition Night to honor the men and women who represent their respective sports at the highest level and the folks that help make it all possible.