POMONA – Alicia Jones enjoyed a career-best afternoon, scoring a game-high 19 points as the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team secured a convincing 73-59 victory over visiting Cal State East Bay in the final game before the Holiday break Sunday at Kellogg Arena in Pomona.
 
The Broncos rise to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the CCAA. The Pioneers, meanwhile, fell to 5-3 (2-2 CCAA).
 
CPP got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-4 after CSUEB's Jaela Richardson hit a jumper two and a half minutes into the contest, followed by steal by Delia Moore on the ensuing inbounds pass, only to lay it up a second later to put the Pioneers ahead by five at the snap of a finger. The Broncos settled down and rallied to force a 15-15 tie at the end of the first quarter.
 
From then on, it was all Cal Poly Pomona, as it built a nine-point 25-16 lead just before the media timeout and extended the lead to as much as 12 points at the 2:33 mark just before half. The visitors closed the gap to seven points at the intermission, 34-27, but the hosts pushed their lead back to double digits and it would remain there for rest of the contest before earning the 73-59 win.
 
Jones topped her previous-best point total of 16 on 6 of 19 shooting (1 of 4 from 3-point range) and 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Ally Bates scored all 15 of her points in the second half, adding seven rebounds in the win. Kalaya Buggs (12 points) and Reina Sausedo (10 points) also chipped in with double-figures.
 
As a team, the Broncos were 24 of 66 shooting, including 7 of 19 from beyond the arc. CPP was also very efficient at the line, connecting on 18 of 22 free shots. The hosts also turned 23 CSUEB turnovers in 33 points while the Pioneers scored 19 points of 17 CPP giveaways.
 
CSUEB was led by the 12 points off the bench from Kelsey Valencia.
 
Cal Poly Pomona will take a break from competition before heading to Cal State San Bernardino on New Year's Day for a 1:00 pm tipoff in San Bernardino.
 
Bronco Bits

• Head coach Danelle Bishop moves to 353-198 in her 19th season as a head coach, including 215-113 in 12 seasons at Cal Poly Pomona.
• At 7-2, CPP has tied its best nine-game start in the last 10 seasons.
• The Broncos are now 24-12 all-time against Cal State East Bay, snapping a two-game losing skid to the Pioneers.
• As a program, Cal Poly Pomona is now 1,028-395 in its 48th season, including 543-128 in home games and 201-104 in the month of December since its inception in 1974-75.
• Milestone Watch: Senior Ally Bates has 998 career points in 105 career games, including 419 points in the Green and Gold.
• Milestone Watch: Senior Ciara James has 97 career blocks in 92 career games, including 61 blocks at CPP.

 
All home games and most away contests will stream live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. You 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. For $9.95 per month, subscribers will have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand, for one low monthly price. Over half of each monthly subscription purchase will go directly back to the CCAA Athletic Department of your choice to support the student-athlete experience. Sign-ups are available right now at each universities' network portal. Just go to CCAAnetwork.com, select your favorite team at the top and the 'click to subscribe.'

CPP Athletics has gone cashless! Tickets are on sale now for all CPP home games. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to coming to campus at broncoathletics.com/tickets or by downloading the HomeTown Fan app on your smartphone or tablet. New this year, only debit and credit cards will be accepted at the box office for admission. Limited concession items will be on sale on-site as well, and the concession stand will only accept debit and credit cards.

Follow the Broncos all season long by going to broncoathletics.com/followus and sign up to receive breaking news and final score updates throughout the year.