POMONA - The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team led virtually wire to wire and gradually pulled away to top San Francisco State University, 64-52, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contest inside Kellogg Arena on Thursday night.

With the win to begin the 2022 calendar year, CPP improved to 3-7 overall and 2-4 in the CCAA. A third loss in a row dropped San Francisco State to 4-6 overall and an identical 2-4 in league play. The Broncos were coming off the holiday break and in action for the first time since Dec. 18, 19 days ago, with last Sunday's home matchup with Cal State San Bernardino getting wiped out by COVID-19 issues.

The result snaps Cal Poly Pomona's four-game losing skid, its longest since a five-gamer from Dec. 15, 2015, through Jan. 7, 2016.

Ally Bates' two technical free throws got things going due to a pre-tip infraction against the visitors, with a run of seven straight points by fellow senior Monica Todd giving CPP an early 9-3 lead. That personal stretch included a fast-break layup following a steal.

SF State tallied the next five points heading into the first-quarter media timeout, the last four on put-back buckets after offensive rebounds. Two more Bates free throws left the score at 13-9 Broncos after one period.

The second-quarter scoring began with a three-pointer by CPP redshirt freshman Sydney Fedinec off an Ayah League feed following a Bates offensive board. A right-wing banked jumper by Breanne Ha made it 18-9. The Gators notched the next five points, before Ha tracked down her own miss at the top of the key and threw in her first triple.

SFSU scored six in a row from there and ultimately regained its first lead since 3-2, at 24-23, through a Muirae Gomez lay-in off an offensive rebound and nice pass underneath by teammate Ashley Hart. Still with under a minute to go in the half, Jayda Villareal's Bates-assisted three from straight away put CPP on top, 26-24, at the break.

Neither team shot well over the first 20 minutes, combining to go 18-of-67 from the floor for 26.9 percent, though CPP forced 10 turnovers.

The second half opened with a crazy sequence on the very first possession by the Broncos that saw four offensive rebounds before Bates finally found Ciara James open down low for the easy layup. Another Villareal triple with under seven minutes to go put the hosts up 31-24. Back-to-back Chynna Cochran layups, with a steal from the first-year Bronco ahead of the latter one, enabled CPP to match its largest lead of the night at 37-28.

Eight straight Gator points, however, with consecutive three-point hits, forced Bronco head coach Danelle Bishop to call a timeout with 1:25 to go in the period. The maneuver broke up the SFSU momentum as the quarter expired, as Todd scored a basket before Cochran grabbed a defensive rebound, dribbled the length of the court and found the trailing Villareal for a three-pointer that made it 42-36.

Cal Poly Pomona surrendered the first points of the final period, but answered with nine straight as Villareal's fourth triple served as the exclamation point and gave the hosts a double-figure bulge, 49-38.

Buckets by James and Cochran, both after the Broncos hit the offensive glass twice, were wrapped around a Jolene Armendariz three for SFSU. A bit later, Armendariz connected on two more from beyond the arc around another Villareal triple in short succession. The lead was its largest at 14 and lowest from there at eight before the final score.

Villareal led three Broncos in double-figure scoring with season and game highs of 19 points and five three-pointers, going 7-for-12 from the field and 5-for-9 from deep while adding five rebounds. Todd posted her first double-double of the year and eighth in the green and gold with season bests of 15 points and 12 boards. She added three steals. Cochran provided season highs of 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench, to go along with three assists. James had six points and seven boards.

Armendariz matched Villareal's five triples, on 12 attempts, and turned in a double-double of her own with a team-best 17 points and game-high 14 boards. She also had three steals. Gomez was a third player in the game with a double-double, collecting 10 points and 10 rebounds.

CPP out-rebounded SFSU, 53-46, doubling up the Gators on the offensive glass, 24-12. The visitors wound up with 22 turnovers.

With this Saturday afternoon's home date with Cal State Monterey Bay canceled already back on Tuesday due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols affecting the Otters, Cal Poly Pomona is next scheduled to be in action on Thursday night, Jan. 13, at Sonoma State. Tipoff at The Wolves' Den in Rohnert Park is set for 5:30 p.m., with the men slated to follow at 7:30 p.m.

All CCAA basketball contests throughout this 2021-22 season are streaming live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. Fans may also download the CCAA Network app on your iOS or Android smartphone, tablet, or through web streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Roku or Apple TV. The CCAA Network has moved to a subscription-based model at just $9.95 per month. Subscribers have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 203-103 (.663) overall and 156-66 (.703) in CCAA play under 12th-year head coach Danelle Bishop ... Bishop's career mark is 341-188 (.645) in her 18th on-the-court season ... CPP used a ninth different starting lineup for the season, consisting of Ally Bates, Breanne Ha, Ciara James, Monica Todd and Jayda Villareal, with Ha drawing just her second start and first since Nov. 19 at Concordia Irvine ... Bates is the only Bronco to start all 10 games ... CPP played for the first time this season without senior forward Rebecca Islas ... Todd matched her high as a Bronco of 12 rebounds ... Villareal eclipsed a pair of milestones, now with 402 points and 102 rebounds for her career ... Chynna Cochran has scored 12 points in back-to-back games ... CPP's 24 offensive rebounds were a season high ... The Broncos are an even 2-2 at home in 2021-22 ... CPP leads the all-time series, 47-10, with nine successive victories by an average of 15.1 points since a 49-44 loss in San Francisco on Feb. 6, 2016 ... The Broncos are 25-4 against SFSU in Pomona, with eight wins in a row since a 56-53 defeat there on Jan. 17, 2012 ... They are 17-3 against the Gators under Bishop (9-1 in Pomona) ... The sides are scheduled to meet again in San Francisco to conclude the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 1 p.m.