POMONA, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona fell to Cal State LA, 78-62, in the CCAA Tournament Championship game on Saturday evening inside Kellogg Arena. With the loss, the Broncos drop to 26-4 on the season while the Golden Eagles improve to 24-6 and receive the CCAA's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Sydney Nelson delivered a game-high 27 points while attacking the rim and converting 9-of-13 free throws. The Eastvale native added nine rebounds and continued to pressure the defense throughout the night.
Hunter Hudson anchored the paint with a dominant 13-rebound effort to go along with eight points, helping the No. 7 ranked Broncos hold a 42-38 edge on the glass and generate 18 second-chance points.
Andrea Stajic contributed 16 points, including four field goals from beyond the arc, while
Alexis Woodson provided a spark off the bench with six points on 3-of-5 shooting. Pomona also capitalized in transition, scoring 14 fast-break points.
The Broncos battled early, with six lead changes in the opening quarter. A Stajic three-pointer and a fast-break layup by
Brielle Minor gave Pomona a brief advantage late in the first. After trailing 33-25 at halftime, the Broncos were unable to slow down the Cal State LA offense.
Despite a strong rebounding performance and steady pressure inside that produced 32 points in the paint, Cal State LA used a pivotal third-quarter run and efficient perimeter shooting to create separation. CPP will now turn its attention to postseason play as it looks to regroup and build on an impressive season.
Up Next
The NCAA Selection Show will take place tomorrow, March 8
th, at 7:30 PM PST on NCAA.com. The Broncos were ranked No. 3 in the latest regional rankings, and expect to hear their name called as an at-large bid with a 26-4 overall record.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 24-10 against Cal State LA since 2008, and 6-4 in their past 10 games.
- Head coach Danelle Bishop is now 297-142 (.677) as head coach of the Broncos, and 20-19 (.526) in the postseason. Including two previous stops at APU and CBU, Bishop is 435-227 all-time as a head coach.
- The Broncos were ranked No. 7 in the latest WBCA poll.
- The team was ranked No. 3 in the first NCAA regional rankings. They will need to win the upcoming CCAA Tournament, or remain in the Top 8 of the west region to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
- The Broncos are 11-4 all-time in the CCAA Tournament Finals. They are 34-18 all-time in the tournament.
- CPP is 5-2 all-time against Cal State LA in the CCAA Tournament.