By Daniel Felipe Duque, Feb. 21, 2023
On Feb. 16, Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team lost on the road to the Sonoma State Seawolves with a score of 69-62.
The Broncos’ head coach Danelle Bishop was specific and straightforward when addressing the reason for her squad’s defeat.
“We were outsized,” said Bishop.
The first quarter was dominated by the Seawolves, concluding in a 10-point lead over the Broncos who struggled to defend against Sonoma State’s offensive game. Shooting under 10%, CPP concluded the quarter with only eight points.
The Broncos started with a two-point lead after being awarded free throws during the first two minutes of the quarter, which were converted by forward Ciara James.
Despite the early lead, the Seawolves quickly responded with a 3-pointer and continued to overcome the Broncos who suffered from poor shooting and struggled to defend the opposition.
Senior guard Ally Bates, who scored a total of 11 points, expressed her frustration towards the performance of the Broncos.
“We struggled to stick to our game plan and play the style of basketball we like to play,” she said. “It’s a bit frustrating. We just couldn’t get it together.”
Sonoma State extended their lead by 12 points during the first minutes of the second quarter, but the Broncos stepped up their game by improving on their field goal shooting and building a solid defense.
As the timer approached the four-minute mark, CPP managed to score six consecutive points through guards Alicia Jones, Kalaya Buggs, and Chynna Cochran.
After a few scoring plays from both teams, a 3-pointer from guard Sydney Fedinec would conclude the scoring for the quarter and allow CPP to cut the difference between both teams.
This allowed CPP to close the distance and conclude the half down by just four points.
It became a heavily contested game after halftime with both teams exchanging threes in the third quarter.
Sonoma State started the third quarter extending their lead, but the Broncos responded with six points by Jones and the quarter’s first 3-pointer converted by guard Breanne Ha which would cut the Seawolves’ eight-point lead to just one as the timer marked 7:10.
Ha would give the 35-33 lead to the Broncos after scoring another three and making it through Sonoma State’s defense. After a foul and a 3-pointer denied to Jones, CPP did not extend their lead.
The last three minutes of the quarter were heavily contested between both teams. For the Broncos, Bates and Fedinec scored threes and Buggs made a basket of her own.
Despite CPP’s high offense and improved shooting, Sonoma State managed to enter the fourth quarter of the game with a two-point lead as a result of free throws and rebounds.
The final quarter showcased lower intensity across both sides. CPP was less accurate with their shots and did not keep up with the Seawolves’ effective game.
Multiple fouls were called during the fourth quarter of the game which slowed the action down. For most of the quarter, both teams contested the lead which had a tight difference of two points.
Despite the two 3-pointers scored by Bates and guard Reina Sausedo, and Cochran’s two field goals, the amount of missed free throws and field goals combined with Sonoma State’s shot making prevented CPP from winning in a game that concluded 69-62.
With this result, the Broncos extended their away losing streak to four.
Cochran, who scored a total of 10 points, gave her thoughts about the loss.
“When we don’t come out with a strong start and first quarter, we usually end up in a hole, and it is hard for us to get out of that hole,” Cochran said. “We just had a poor first quarter.”
Cochran added: “It is always a big learning process through a loss. I think it shows our vulnerabilities. Tonight, it shows that we can’t start a game slow or a first quarter slow and end up in a hole. We are learning from that. Taking it into Saturday’s game and the rest of the season can be a really big lesson for us because once we do that, we are going to be dangerous.”
The Broncos are currently 15-9 overall with their next game taking place on Feb. 23 where they will play Stanislaus State at Kellogg Arena. With only a few games remaining in the regular season, the Broncos will have to win to increase their chances of securing a spot in the CCAA Tournament.
“It is all about matchups,” Bishop said. “We just have to regroup and refocus.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics