By Cael Cross, February 10, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team dominated the glass en route to a 80-62 win over San Francisco State Jan. 31.
The Broncos grabbed 53 rebounds on the night, breaking a previous season-high of 47 rebounds set against La Sierra Nov. 26, something head coach Greg Kamansky was proud of.
“It was awesome,” Kamansky said. “We physically dominated them, and we haven’t done that to a team in a while.”
It was a collective effort from the Broncos on the rebounding front with five different players recording at least five rebounds. Guards Asher Schroeder and Malcolm Bell led the charge with 10 and nine rebounds respectively. It also marked the most rebounds CPP have had in a game since they corralled 60 back in November 2018 against the University of Saint Katherine.
CPP set a high intensity from the first minute, outhustling the Gators on the glass and loose balls. The Broncos forced multiple turnovers in the first five minutes, leading to easy baskets for forwards Kevin Simeth and Jake Goldberg.
Despite the bright start from CPP, the Gators stayed in the game, with forward Diego Martinez making his first four shot attempts to keep them within two points.
CPP guard Zach Broadous returned from a one-game absence and brought some explosiveness off the bench with a pair of layups, leading a 14-2 run for the Broncos to balloon the lead to 25-11.
The rest of the half was back-and-forth, with the Broncos unable to extend the lead despite their dominance on the glass and went into the break leading 37-26.
One standout throughout the half was guard Demarreya Lewis-Cooper, who orchestrated the offense effectively with composure and quick ball movement.
“First half, we slowed it down and tried to get it to the high post,” Lewis-Cooper said. “I think the main thing is just finding the open spot. We were able to find those open spots today.”
Kamansky also cited the high post as a big factor on the offensive side.
“It was something we saw in their defense where it was vulnerable,” Kamansky said. “We wanted to get the ball into the high post, and we did a good job at executing that tonight.”
The Broncos charged out of the half with more energy with an 11-4 run culminating in an alley-oop from Lewis-Cooper to Bell that brought the score to 48-30.
The Gators kept their hopes of a comeback alive with multiple contact finishes and free throws, but they were short-lived, as Simeth answered with multiple contact dunks to bring the lead back up to 17.
Simeth was another standout performer on both sides of the court, leading the team in points with 21 on a perfect 9-9 shooting, along with eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
CPP was able to control the game for the rest of the second half and closed out the 80-62 win.
Lewis-Cooper finished the game with a well-rounded stat line, scoring 10 points and adding five rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Bell and Goldberg also finished with double-digit points, scoring 12 and 10.
Kamansky pointed out the energy brought by the team and how happy he was with it.
“We lost to this team the first time we played them,” Kamansky said, referring to the 74-73 loss CPP suffered to San Francisco State earlier this season. “We knew how important this game was, so I was really happy with the energy they brought today.”
The Broncos improved their overall record to 11-9 and 6-8 in conference play as they look to fight for a playoff spot in a jam-packed conference, with just one game separating fourth place from ninth.
The victory also marked the first home win for CPP since the conference opener against Cal State LA.
“We’ve got to keep stepping up at home,” Lewis-Cooper said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, especially with the conference tournament coming up. That is at home, so from here on out, we’ve got to come ready to play when it’s at home, and I think this one set the tone.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
