By Samantha Campion, March 5, 2024
After defeating San Francisco State, the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team continued its winning streak against Cal State Monterey Bay Feb. 22, with a 69-44 victory.
With the win, the Broncos improved to 14-6 in conference play and 18-7 overall.
Forward Keke Scott opened her dominant performance with a free throw followed by a jump shot, getting the Broncos on the board within the first minute.
Finding herself with limited minutes on the court earlier this season, Scott recorded a career-high 16 points, while shooting 71% from the field in only her fourth career start.
“The past three games I’ve been starting, and it’s really built up my confidence,” Scott said. “When I’m in, I just do what I can. Just play in the moment and give the glory to God at the end of the day.”
The Broncos gained their first lead of the game in the first quarter, 7-5, behind a lay-up by forward Mydrea Moore. They never trailed from that point forward.
The second quarter proved to be a challenge for the Otters, who were unable to score for seven minutes against a strong effort by the Broncos at the rim. CPP collected 13 of its 46 rebounds during the second quarter alone, with guard Andrea Stajic accounting for six of those rebounds.
“For me, that’s just hard work and dedication, and I’m really proud of her because we are on her all the time about rebounding,” head coach Danelle Bishop said. “I know they get mad at me in the moment, but this is what happens when we do that, and it pays off.”
Stajic nearly completed a double-double, registering 10 points and nine rebounds along with two steals on the night.
“We knew they were going to be really aggressive on the boards, so we had to box out and go for rebounds very strongly tonight,” said Stajic. “Everyone was flowing it seemed like, and I just came on the good end of it. I ended with 10 and nine, so I’m happy with that.”
Guard Breanne Ha completed a no-look pass around the defense to give Moore the open rim for an easy layup, sparking a 12-0 scoring run for the Broncos. It was a successful night down low for CPP, outscoring Monterey Bay 32-14 in points from the paint.
Returning from halftime with a score of 36-20, both teams started slow offensively. With seven minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the scoreboard had not changed.
Moore created an opportunity for Stajic’s layup to end the drought, then followed her assist up with an and-one, completing the three-point play.
Filling up the stat sheet, her impact on the game went far beyond scoring; she registered nine points with four assists, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Point guard Kalaya Buggs led CPP’s balanced offense, ending the night with a season-high nine assists to lead all players, currently ranking third in the conference for assists per game.
The key difference for the Broncos was their ability to create opportunities in transition, outscoring the Otters in rebounds 46-40 and assists 18-9.
“I think we just kept it in our minds to get it out quickly,” Scott said. “Grab the rebound and just go. That’s our bread and butter, transitioning.”
In the fourth quarter, Bishop looked to her bench to step up and finish the job against Monterey Bay. Six different bench players saw action in the game, totaling 24 bench points.
Guard Reina Sausedo came off the bench to make a three-pointer in her first play of the game to extend the lead by 22.
“For me, that’s sacrifice and selflessness,” Bishop said. “We talk about family and forget about me; I love you, and that’s the true definition of that.”
Freshman pair forward Khamiyah Anderson and guard Dalayja Hurt-Floyd clinched the victory for the Broncos, combining for a layup and three-pointer to close out the game, 69-44.
Earlier this week, the Broncos were announced in the top 10 regionally and are under consideration to compete at the NCAA Regional tournament.
Hoping to continue their success on the court, Bishop reflected on this season with confidence and love for her team, calling this year’s team the hardest working team she’s coached at CPP.
“For us, we keep talking about how we are playing for something different,” Bishop said. “We are not only playing for a conference tournament, but we are playing for the NCAA Tournament. We are right there.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics