POMONA – After a close first period, Cal Poly Pomona broke free in the second half to run away with a 66-45 victory over SF State Thursday night.
 
The Broncos improve to 13-7 overall and 9-5 in the CCAA, while the Gators drop to 1-17 on the year and 1-14 in conference.
 
Kasey Smit led CPP with 16 points (7-for-9), followed by Dominique Dotson with 11 points and Jayda Villareal with 10 points. Jackie Ricketson dished out eight assists on the night to help fuel the CPP offense.
 
SFSU scored off the opening tip and started back-and-forth action as the teams ended the first period deadlocked at 16-16.
 
Lauryn Catching drained a three-pointer to start the second and help CPP find its rhythm. The Broncos built up an eight-point upper hand with just under two minutes before the break as Smit stole the ball away, which led to a Dotson triple.
 
The Broncos finished the quarter shooting 42.9-percent from the floor, including a 4-for-9 showing from beyond the arc. It led to CPP holding a 32-26 lead at halftime.
 
CPP scored four unanswered points coming out of the break to increase its lead to double-digits, 36-26. SFSU managed to cut the deficit to six points, 43-37, with three minutes to go in the third, but the Broncos responded with a 7-0 run to increase their lead to 13 points, 50-37.
 
The Broncos finished the third out-scoring the Gators 20-to-12 to hold a 52-38 lead heading into the final period.
 
Two minutes into the fourth, Smit banked in a jump shot to put the Broncos in front by 17 and was on fire the rest of the period. She was 3-for-3 from the floor, including back-to-back jumpers halfway through the frame with the first one coming just seconds after she came back into the game.
 
Dotson sealed the 66-45 victory with a jump shot less than 30 seconds left in the game, followed by a defensive board on the other end of the court.
 
In the fourth, CPP held SFSU to just a 15.4 shooting percentage, while out-scoring the Gators 7-to-2 in second chance points.
 
The Broncos look to keep momentum rolling in their favor as Sonoma State comes to town on Saturday for a 5 p.m. tip in Kellogg Arena. The Seawolves are right behind the Broncos in the CCAA standings, with less than 10 games remaining before postseason play begins.