POMONA, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona kept its momentum rolling Thursday night, knocking off Cal State Monterey Bay 74-67 in the quarterfinals of the CCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The Broncos controlled the game for nearly its entirety, holding the lead for all but a brief moment while playing in front of a strong home crowd.
Head coach Greg Kamansky said the team entered the matchup motivated after losing both regular-season meetings to the Otters. "I thought we played well," Kamansky said. "We've been playing well for a few weeks, and we came out with some really good energy. We have a lot of respect for them — they're a really good basketball team and they beat us both times earlier this year. So I think our guys were pretty fired up going into the game."
Despite dealing with a shortened rotation, Pomona's available players stepped up throughout the night. "The seven guys that played really stepped up and performed really well," Kamansky said. "They played with poise, and that's what I was happiest with."
The Broncos set the tone early with defensive intensity, limiting one of the conference's top shooting teams from beyond the arc. Monterey Bay finished just 19.4 percent from three-point range.
Kamansky said the defensive focus centered on contesting shots and staying disciplined against a strong perimeter offense. "They're very good passers and shooters," Kamansky said. "We knew they were going to get a lot of attempts from three, so the focus was being there on the catch and making those looks more difficult."
Forward Michael Saba said the team's execution and trust made the difference compared to the earlier matchups. "For us, we knew we were a different team than the first two times we played them," Saba said. "Just coming out, trusting each other, playing our zone, and offensively getting into the swing of things."
Pomona also found success on the glass, outrebounding a Monterey Bay team that entered the game leading the conference in rebounds per game. "That's every game for us," Saba said. "Hit the glass hard on both ends of the court."
Balanced scoring helped keep the Broncos in control, with several players contributing offensively. "Across the board, everybody busted their butt tonight," Malcolm Bell said. "Everyone knew what we had to do coming out." Whenever the Otters attempted to close the gap, Pomona answered with timely baskets to prevent momentum from shifting. "They're capable of making those runs," Kamansky said. "But we kept them at bay and didn't turn the ball over too many times."
With the victory, the Broncos advance to face top-seeded Cal State East Bay in the semifinals.
Up Next:
The Broncos are set to face No. 2 Cal State East Bay in the CCAA Semifinals on Friday, March 6th at 8:00 PM.
Bronco Bits:
- Greg Kamansky is now 488-227 as the head coach of the Broncos
- Now in its 78th season, CPP Men's Basketball is 1,184-935 all-time with a 521-426 record in CCAA games
- Kevin Simeth recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds
- Malcolm Bell led the Broncos with 14 points, going 5-for-9 from the field and hitting 1 of 2 from three-point range
- Demarreya Lewis-Cooper added 14 points, including 5 rebounds and 3 steals, while going 4-for-11 shooting
- This is the first time the Broncos have advanced to the CCAA Semifinal since the 2019-2020 season
