By Will Jack, Feb. 7, 2023
On Feb. 2, Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball traveled to Hayward to take on the Cal State East Bay Pioneers, losing its third straight by a score of 84-70 and falling to a record of 9-9 on the season.
The Broncos struggled to match the game’s physicality against a larger and more experienced Pioneer team, leading to the Broncos giving up frequent turnovers and fast break opportunities.
Head coach Greg Kamansky said that he wanted to see more toughness from his team and added that his player’s youth showed in this game. “We just have to be more physical,” said Kamansky. “We have 18-year-olds, but we have to find a way to be more physical. There’s no way of getting around it.”
Both teams started the game playing extremely scrappy with CPP’s Jaden Winfield able to take advantage of this by getting a steal on the first possession.
On CPP’s first offensive trip, Bam Johnson turned the ball over on a traveling violation, foreshadowing how the game would go.
Winfield was on his way to having a solid game after knocking down a three on the next possession, scoring the Broncos’ first seven points to start the game.
With 14:32 left in the first half, East Bay started to make their run, scoring seven points on two possessions. One of those possessions was a four-point play scored by Kevin Ebiriekwe, kickstarting a 22-4 Pioneer run.
The game’s physicality was too much for the Broncos to handle, leading to open looks from beyond the arc for East Bay. By the 8:10 mark of the first half, the score was 30-13 Pioneers in a game where the Broncos’ foe would shoot 11-23 from distance. Cal State East Bay’s Ramsey Huff, Garrett Pascoe and Dimitrios Klonaras combined to go 9-11 from three.
Johnson spoke on CPP’s inability to cover their opponents from downtown on a frustrating night.
“We need to be better on our rotations,” said Johnson. “Too many times, we were in scramble mode, and we need to communicate better out there.”
Though the team struggled, one player that stood out for the Broncos was Derrick Claxton. Claxton was electric off the bench. He would go 4-7 from the field, scoring 12 points, but his aggression stood out more than anything in this game.
At the 6:57 mark of the first half, Claxton fought for a loose rebound and got the jump ball. The possession arrow belonged to the Broncos. After the Broncos inbounded the ball, Claxton knocked down a three without hesitation.
“I felt I played more aggressive and was able to get to my spots,” said Claxton. “But that doesn’t take away from the fact we lost. I’d much rather win.”
The night marked a special occasion for Claxton as the Sacramento native played close to his family and friends at nearby Hayward. “It was really cool to see them,” said Claxton.
The first half ended with East Bay leading with a score of 47-27 with Johnson again mentioning the strength CPP failed to match.
“They had a lot of bigger guys and packed the paint,” said Johnson. “We like to penetrate a lot in our offense, but ultimately we just need to make shots and do a better job of spacing the floor.”
Immediately, the Broncos picked up the energy in the start of second half with a steal from Malachi Murrell but missed the ensuing layup. In the very next defensive possession, the Broncos would surrender a three.
It was back to the same problems the Broncos had in the first half, and they could not match the Pioneer’s toughness. “We did some good things in the second half, but we just need to be more physical,” said Kamansky.
Toward the end of the game, both teams started to empty their bench, realizing the game was well out of reach.
CPP went on a run towards the end of the half, but it was too little too late for the Broncos as they fell 84-70.
Kamansky liked the fight his team showed in the second half but wants to see his young team grow from this game.
“We have a young group that is learning to play at this level and learning to play physically is a part of that,” said Kamansky.
With the loss, CPP men’s basketball will move to 9-9 on the season and 6-8 in conference play. CPP will take on the Cal State San Bernadino Coyotes at home for their next game, Tuesday night, Feb. 7.
You can stream the event on the California Collegiate Athletic Association Network and keep up with the team on the BroncoAthletics website all season long.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
