POMONA -- Monica Todd led all scorers with a game-high 21 points on 9 of 14 shooting as the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team earned a nailbiting 77-72 victory over a feisty Humboldt State squad on New Year's Eve at Kellogg Arena in Pomona.
The Broncos (9-2 overall) remain in sole possession of second place in the CCAA standings at 5-1, trailing undefeated UC San Diego by a game. The Lumberjacks fall to 6-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
Humboldt stormed out in front to open the contest, draining four three pointers en route to a 20-15 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action. It was, however, 20-11 in favor of HSU through the first eight minutes, but CPP went on an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 22-20 lead with 8:46 to go in the first half. From then on, neither team led by more than three points until a layup by
Kasey Smit with 50 seconds left in the second quarter put the hosts ahead 40-36, which held up to be the score at halftime.
Both teams went back-and-forth until Cal Poly Pomona managed to extend a lead to as much as 11 points with four minutes to play in regulation, but Humboldt State began to chip away down the stretch. In fact, the 'Jacks went on a 9-1 run over the next 3:35 to pull within three points at 72-69 with 0:26 left on the clock. The Broncos hit three free throws late to take a six-point advantage before another three-pointer by HSU got the visitors within three points at 75-72, but
Rebecca Islas sealed the win for the hosts with a pair of free throws with two seconds left to make it a 77-72 final.
Todd's 21 points was a season-high as she added six rebounds, three steals and two assists in her 36 minutes of action.
Jordyn Shane was the only other CPP player scoring in double-figures, tallying 15, seven of which were scored at the charity stripe.
The Broncos connected on nearly half of their 57 shots, making 28 for a percentage of 49.1 from the floor. On the other end of the court, the Lumberjacks were just 37.1 percent shooting on 26 of 70, nine coming from beyond the three-point arc.
Cal Poly Pomona will open 2019 at Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, tipping off at 1:00 pm.
