By: Jacob Rodriguez, Jan. 21, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team extended its 3-game winning streak against the undefeated Chico State Jan. 9 and Cal Poly Humboldt Jan. 11, improving its conference record to 7-1.
It also marked Bishop’s 197th conference victory, making her the winningest conference coach in the program history.
“It was humbling,” said Bishop. “I still remember my first day on the job, walking in and feeling like I was coaching at an institution with one of the most successful coaches [Darlene May]. I would have never imagined walking into campus on that first day.”
In the first game, both CPP and Chico State got off to a fast start trading points and tying the score 10-10 through the first six minutes of play. Sophomore forward Sydney Nelson scored four of the Bronco’s 10 points.
The Wildcats then went on an 18-11 run, imposing their fast-paced offense. This forced the Broncos into foul trouble and made it difficult for them to find the basket. With CPP shooting 6-17 and Chico shooting 10-16 from the field, the Wildcats led the game 28-21.
Sophomore center Khamiyah Anderson scored the first five points for the Broncos in the second quarter, making two jumpers to close the deficit to three. Sophomore guard Brielle Minor cut the lead shorter with two free throws, bringing the Broncos within one point 28-27.
Broncos Head Coach Danelle Bishop highlighted the team’s adversity coming back from a 12-point deficit.
“What I love about our girls is that we battled,” Bishop said. “We had a loss on our very first game of the year, and we didn’t battle when we were down. That’s been a focus, so it was a similar situation, but we battled back. It was an exciting team win.”
CPP’s senior guard Kalaya Buggs tied the game 32-32 with a 3-pointer to solidify the comeback.
The Bronco’s defense also took control of the game, stalling the Wildcat’s offense and forcing them to take more contested shots. The two teams battled through the next six minutes of play, trading points and preventing each other from pulling away with a lead before ending the first quarter down 47-42.
CPP wasted no time setting the tone when senior guard Breanne Ha drove down the paint to hit a jumper, cutting down the Wildcats’ lead. Senior guard Cookie Marques kept the ball rolling with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit by two.
The two teams once more battled for four minutes of play until Ha sank a 3-pointer that proved to be the spark the Broncos needed to begin pulling away with a 56-53 lead.
The Broncos continue their aggressive attack, outscoring their opponents 23-16, with Buggs (22), Marques (20), and Anderson (16) collecting season-highs. Anderson also went 8-8 in the field and collected eight rebounds.
Anderson highlighted the adjustments made for the team’s second-half success.
“Coach came in and was like, ‘Play some freaking defense. Y’all need to pick it up on the defensive end,’” said Anderson. “She told us that we can’t go into this game worrying about offense, your shots, the refs. It was just focusing on defense.”
Entering the fourth quarter, the Broncos led 65-63, as they looked to seal the game with their defense by producing six steals, 26 defensive rebounds, and four blocks.
Chico State responded with a 3-pointer, as neither team would allow the other to gain more than a one-point advantage.
Clutch free throws from Buggs and Marques sent the game into overtime with a score of 80-80.
“The big focus in that huddle was defense going into overtime,” said Bishop. “We have to suck it up for five minutes. We were tired, but so was Chico. We knew what we had to do on the offensive end was get to the free throw line and draw fouls.”
The Broncos ultimately got the victory 90-84 after a battle in the last five minutes with CPP going 6-8 at the free throw line.
Following the win, the Broncos traveled on the road to face Cal Poly Humboldt in the first edition of the Cal Poly Clash. The Lumberjacks got the first points, with forward Kyori Lloyd making a 3-pointer within the first 30 seconds of the game.
Nelson collected the first points on the board for the Broncos as both teams stalled, with CPP shooting 5-20 and Humboldt 6-15 from the field, leading to a 5-5 tie midway through the first quarter.
Humboldt started gaining momentum in the last three minutes of play, outscoring CPP 10-6. The first quarter ended with the Lumberjacks leading 15-11.
“It’s a tough place to play in, and it wasn’t our best game, but a win on the road, we’ll take it,” said Bishop.
CPP adjusted in the second half, with forward Mydrea Moore getting the first four points off jumpers to tie the game at 15-15.
Despite the Lumberjacks taking the lead with a free throw, the Broncos quickly responded with a layup by Buggs. Nelson continued the scoring by driving down the paint for a layup, giving the Broncos a 19-16 lead.
With halftime approaching, the Broncos outscored the Lumberjacks 17-12 overall, giving the Broncos a 28-27 lead as they looked to continue their momentum on both sides.
As the quarter wound down, Humboldt began to rally. Both teams scored 18 points, but the Broncos once again led by one point, 46-45.
“Our defense is the biggest part of how we play,” said Nelson. “Making sure that we stop our opponents from scoring but also having a team where everybody contributes.”
Ha looked to set the tone for the Broncos by setting up in the paint and making a jumper to kickstart CPP’s offense in the fourth quarter.
Nelson intercepted a pass from a Lumberjack player, ran up the court, and made a layup to continue the momentum, putting up an 11-0 run for the first seven minutes of play, making the score 57-45.
Nelson delivered her 12th consecutive game with double-digit scoring, leading the team with a season-high 23 points.
CPP continued putting pressure on the Lumber’s offense, forcing them to make mistakes. The Broncos stole eight times while maintaining possession of the ball and collecting 27 rebounds on defense, allowing their opponent no chance to capitalize.
Despite a late rally by Humboldt, CPP sealed its victory late in the game with six free throws from Buggs and Nelson capping off a 66-61 victory.
With the win, the Broncos improved their overall record to 12-2. Buggs was also named Player of the Week for her performances, averaging 19.5 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, while going 14-15 at the free throw line.
Feature image courtesy of Leroy Crook
