By Gavin Claiborne, Jan. 28, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team had one of its best games of the season to notch a win against the Stanislaus State Warriors Jan. 18 after a disappointing loss to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters Jan. 16.
The Broncos’ game against the Stanislaus State Warriors resulted in a 67-47 blowout win for CPP. This victory served as the Broncos’ second home win of the California Collegiate Athletic Association season.
After facing multiple losses during the season, Broncos head coach Greg Kamansky said it was time for his team to really lock in moving forward and maintain mental focus against the Warriors.
“We had a come-to-Jesus moment after the Monterey Bay game, because that was the third home game in a row we got hammered,” Kamansky said, referring to the Broncos’ loss to the Otters. “We had some long discussions with the players. We adjusted our attitude as a coaching staff as well as players as far as getting a lot more focused. The fun and games are over. Now it’s business time.”
The game remained competitive through the first half with six lead changes in total.
Broncos starting guard Sam Hunter did not miss from deep as he went a perfect 4-4 from 3-point range in the half. Three of the Broncos’ reserves, forward Michael Ofoegbu, forward Caleb Nelson and guard Zach Broadus, also chimed in on offense to tie the game 32-32 at the half.
Going into the game, Hunter said his mindset was to let his teammates go to work and wait for the ball to come to him on the perimeter.
“I really want to be out there to space the court and let my guys get in the lane and have freedom,” Hunter said. “And whenever I’m open, I just trust that they’ll pass to me, and it’s worked out.”
The Broncos seized the opportunity to create separation as they gained a 10-point lead five minutes into the second half.
The Broncos’ bench dominated the half as they scored 16 points cumulatively compared to seven points from the Warriors’ bench.
Hunter, the leading scorer of the game, finished with 19 points. Nelson was the Broncos’ second leading scorer with 11 points, and starting guard Shyheim Parm snatched nine rebounds to lead the game in boards.
Despite the Broncos’ victory — a score that exceeded the Warriors’ total by 20 points — Hunter acknowledged the Warriors as a talented team, and the win has become a reflection of his team’s growth.
“They’re a good team, and we beat them by 20 or something, so it just shows we can be the best, and when the tournament comes, we can be a contender,” Hunter said.
Kamansky was pleased with his team’s ability to knock down shots, particularly in the second half where the Broncos ended the game shooting 40% from deep.
“I think most of our shots were really good shots,” Kamansky said. “As a coach, I felt like we should have won by 50. We had really good shots.”
As the Broncos continue their season, Kamansky said he’d like to get a win streak going.
“If we’re gonna be in the top half of the conference, we can’t just win one, lose two and win one,” Kamansky said. “We have to start going on a little bit of a streak at some point, so hopefully this night was a good start for us to get after (opposing teams) on the road up there.”
In the Broncos’ 76-65 loss to the Otters, before the game against the Warriors, the Otters had a dominant start to the game, shooting 75% from 3-point range compared to the Broncos’ 20% in the first half, propelling them to a 25-point lead over the Broncos.
The Broncos picked up the pace early in the second half of the contest when starting guard Jaden Winfield and starting center Kevin Simeth scored the first eight points for their team within the first three minutes of the half. Reserve guard Miles Lewis also contributed with two 3-pointers along the way, and Winfield, a standout player throughout the entire game, grabbed four rebounds in the second half.
The Broncos cut the Otters’ lead to nine points late in the half, but a pair of free throws from guards Javon Johnson and Jaden Tengan were just enough to secure the Otters a victory.
Two of the Broncos’ players, Winfield and Lewis, reached double digits in scoring, and reserve forward Ofoegbu led the Broncos in rebounding with seven boards while also contributing with seven points.
Ofoegbu said it’s important for him and his teammates to not be deterred by the loss.
“It’s just one game,” Ofoegbu said. “It was a tough loss, but if you let a loss like that dictate how the rest of the season goes, you’re never going to bounce back. So you just need to know it’s one game, move on and focus on the next task.
Feature image courtesy of Christian Magdaleno
