POMONA – In its first of two matchups against ranked foes, Cal Poly Pomona battled but came up short with a 71-54 loss to No. 24-ranked Cal State San Marcos Thursday night.
 
The Broncos move to 6-5 on the year and 2-3 in the CCAA, while the Cougars improve to 9-1 overall, 4-1 in conference.
 
Lauryn Catching provided a spark off the bench for CPP, finishing with a team-high 16 points (6-for-13). Sheridan Glover chipped in 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting and was just two boards shy of a double-double with eight rebounds. Leilia Orji also snagged eight rebounds on the night as the Broncos finished with a plus-7 mark off the glass.
 
The Cougars jumped out in front early and held a 25-11 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
 
CPP looked to shake the first quarter off and came out hot in the second. After CSUSM turned the ball over, Catching got a jumper off and the Broncos made some key defensive stops to fuel a 6-0 run. Orji scored off an offensive rebound and Dominique Dotson stole the ball away to put Catching in on a fastbreak to cap the run, putting her team down 25-17.
 
The Cougars built back their double-digit lead, however, sending CPP into halftime trailing 40-25.
 
In the final quarter, the Broncos dug deep to try to put a comeback together. Catching scored back-to-back buckets to open the frame, putting CPP within 10 points, 53-43.
 
With just under six minutes to play, Jackie Ricketson found Dotson on the perimeter, where she drained a three-pointer to put the Broncos within reach, 54-48.
 
The Cougars wouldn't let the Broncos come any closer, however, as they secured the 71-54 victory in the final five minutes.
 
CPP closes out the 2019 calendar year Sunday, hosting another ranked opponent in No. 22-ranked UC San Diego for a 1 p.m. tip in Kellogg Arena.