By Christian Ulrich, Dec. 6, 2022
On Dec. 2, the Broncos headed out to Seaside to take on Cal State Monterey Bay at The Kelp Bed. The Broncos held on late to take the win 67-61, shooting an impressive 52% from the field and improving to 5-1 on the season.
The Otters showed their cards right from tip off, jumping into a full court press defense immediately, a strategy that the Broncos took advantage of to keep the Otters at a distance for most of the game.
Cal Poly Pomona head coach Danelle Bishop mentioned many keys to the road victory.
“Our team battled on a road trip, and we can take a lot of positives from tonight,” said Bishop. “We had some great rebounds down the stretch and were 14-15 from the free throw line. Anytime you can get a win on the road it’s something to be proud of. Half our team was sick, and we were not at 100%, but we still pulled it out.”
CSUMB committed 17 turnovers against the Broncos, and CPP guard Ally Bates felt this made all the difference in the end.
“Our teammates were able to draw fouls and get to the free throw line,” said Bates. “That helped me get on the board. Tonight we didn’t shoot the best from three, but we were able to get the other team in foul trouble. And, we shot well from the line as a group, and that was the difference in the game.”
Bates tallied 17 points and was 7-7 from the free throw line in the team’s victory.
CPP set the tone early on in the game with a 3-pointer from CPP guard Kalaya Buggs, setting up an 8-2 lead after four minutes of play.
The Broncos continued to move the ball up the court quickly, using the Otters’ full court press to put CPP in good positions for open shots and opportunities at the free throw line.
After one quarter of play, the Broncos held a 16-10 lead.
The Broncos came out strong in the second quarter, specifically guard Chynna Cochran who scored seven points in the quarter.
“Our mentality as a team is to stay together,” said Cochran. “Tonight we pushed the ball and got good shots when we needed to. We try to not get comfortable with leads, and we try to keep the mentality that it is always a 0-0 game. Having that mindset keeps us pushing throughout the game.”
Although leading the entire second half, the Otters continued to keep pace with CPP with monumental efforts by CSU Monterey Bay guard Lauryn Pointer.
Pointer scored all over the court, draining two threes and getting to the free throw line multiple times with ease, efforts that kept the Bronco lead to just nine points at halftime. Pointer ended the game with 26 points.
The Broncos opened up the third quarter with a 39-30 lead, hoping to keep things moving.
Bates found her rhythm in the third quarter by getting to the free throw line six times, keeping the Broncos ahead with their biggest lead at 10 points with two minutes left in the quarter.
Bates spoke on how pre-game preparations helped them in the long run.
“We were able to force the shots we wanted to force,” said Bates. “There are always improvements to make in terms of preparation. We are learning every game and making sure we are locking in on key concepts that we go over before every game.”
The Broncos entered the fourth and final quarter with a 57-47 lead with the end in sight.
Hitting a midrange jumper one minute in and then a 3-pointer a minute later, Pointer and the Otters were not going out without a fight, cutting the lead to just three points, two and half minutes into the fourth quarter.
Down the stretch with three and a half minutes of play remaining, Bates hit a key 3-pointer, putting the Broncos up by nine.
Clamping down on the defensive end down the stretch helped the Broncos hold on for a victory, with a final score of 67-61.
“It was an ugly game,” said Bishop. “We had people out with a cold and the flu, and we had a few people that we didn’t think would make the flight. So, for that I’m proud of our girls for battling through it.”
The Broncos will be back in action on Dec. 8 against Cal State Dominguez Hills at 5:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Arena. For more information visit the women’s basketball website.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics