LA JOLLA, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team has made the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament each year of the Tournament's 22-year history. This is where the Broncos season ended on Tuesday night as they lost to the UC San Diego Tritons 71-60.
The Green and Gold were the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament and thus were sent to La Jolla to play the second-seeded UCSD squad. The Tritons were in a three-way tie at the end of the season with the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros and Cal State East Bay Pioneers.
The loss in the contest marked the end of the season for the Broncos as they finish the year with a record of 11-17. In the regular season, prior to Tuesday's game, the Broncos recorded a 9-11 record in CCAA play.
Four members of the CPP squad totaled double-digit points against the hometown Tritons. Leading the way with 20 points on a 6-for-14 performance was freshman
Jordyn Shane. The Upland native posted four rebounds in the contest.
Joining Shane with double-digit points were
Priscilla Brooks,
Erin Hagan, and
Mary Williams. Brooks locked down a double-double in the game as her 12 points was accompanied by 10 rebounds. She also added a steal to her game resume.
Erin Hagan secured 11 points in the game with a 5-for-9 performance that added to her five rebounds, team-leading three assists, and two steals. The last Bronco with double-digit points in the game was Williams. The CPP squad's lone senior, Williams was on double-double watch as she recorded 10 points and nine rebounds in the contest.
The two teams were close across the board with their numbers. CPP shot 38.9% as a team, sinking 21-of-54 shots taken. The hometown Tritons were successful on 24-of-53 attempts. As the Broncos team is not known for their prowess beyond the three-point line, the offense of the Tritons sank eight long shots while the Green and Gold sank just one.
From the free throw line, CPP added 17 points and the UCSD team added 15. In the paint, both teams were certainly active, the visitors to RIMAC Arena, CPP tallied 24 of their points from inside the paint, and the Tritons recorded 28.
UCSD won the points off Turnovers battle 24-16, but the Broncos were more successful in second chance points and fast break points. The CPP bench recorded 23 points for its team in the game.
In the game, the Broncos scored first, a basket that got answered, then a Hagan jumper gave the Green and Gold the lead, which they would hold for the remainder of the first half. In the first quarter, the Broncos reached their largest advantage over the Tritons with a nine-point advantage.
The third quarter went the Tritons' way as they were able to tie up the game after a pair of threes just two minutes in evened the score at 31-31. As a testament to the CCAA, both teams duked it out for the next few minutes until a three-pointer from the game point leader Jamie Katuna gave UCSD a four-point advantage. They would continue piling on the lead, even reaching an 18-point spread. CPP pushed back however and at the end of the contest the final score was 71-60.
