POMONA -- Four Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball players scored in double-figures as the Broncos edged visiting Sonoma State, 81-73, Thursday night in a double overtime thriller at Kellogg Arena in Pomona.
The Broncos rise to 9-5 overall and move into a tie for fifth place with Saturday's opponent, San Francisco State, at 7-5 in the CCAA. The Seawolves drop to 7-10 and 5-7 in the CCAA.
It was a see-saw of a contest between both squads. Cal Poly Pomona enjoyed an eight-point lead at 20-12 with 6:20 to go in the first half, but Sonoma went on a 14-4 run over the final five minutes of the half to take a narrow 26-24 advantage into the intermission. Neither team would lead by more than five points the rest of the way. In fact, both teams fought through 13 ties and 14 lead changes throughout the 50-minute affair.
With 45 seconds left in regulation, SSU split a pair of free throws, but it would knot the ballgame at 59-59. The Broncos found themselves with two possessions down the stretch, but couldn't find the hoop, going 0 for 4, effectively sending the game into overtime at 59-all.
In the first OT, tied at 65-65, CPP again had the final possession, and on a drive through the lane,
William Christmas got fouled going up for the potential game-winner, putting him at the line with 0.9 seconds remaining. However, he missed both free throws and the teams would play on in double OT. It was in the second extra frame that the host Broncos flexed their muscles, outscoring the visiting Seawolves 16-8 for the eight-point win.
CPP was led by 19 points from
Jordan Ogundiran, who played just 27 minutes. Christmas added 15 while
Chris Sullivan and
Phoenix Shackelford each ended with 13. As a team, the Broncos hit on 35.9 percent of their shots (28 of 78) and was 10 of 22 from three-point range. The defense also stepped up big, forcing 29 turnovers while the offense gave up the ball just 13 times.
Sonoma, which shot 41.7 percent from the floor on 20 of 48, got a game-high 20 points from Isaac Davidson, and Armani Nicolis chipped in with 18.
Cal Poly Pomona will return to action Saturday at 3:05 pm at home against San Francisco State. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
