By Jacob Rodriguez, Feb. 4, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball dominated Cal State East Bay Jan. 23 and San Francisco State Jan. 25, improving the conference record to 11-1 and breaking records along the way.
The Broncos’ game against East Bay Pioneers marked senior guard Breanne Ha’s 216th career 3-pointer, breaking the all-time, 3-point record previously set by Anna James 23 years ago.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Ha said. “All the hard work I put in with my teammates and coaches helped me reach this point in my career, so it means a lot.”
The Broncos got off to a fast start against the Pioneers with a 9-1 lead after senior forward Sydney Nelson hit a jumper, followed by sophomore forward Mydrea Moore’s two jumpers and a 3-pointer from Ha.
The Pioneers responded with a pair of free throws and a layup to cut the deficit to four, but both teams stalled for the next two minutes of play.
The Broncos built a 19-11 lead by the end of the first quarter with an efficient offense and strong defense, preventing guard Taylor Eldredge, East Bay’s most prolific shooter, from scoring all day, holding her to only 2 points.
Although the second quarter started with Moore hitting a jumper and guard Cookie Marques hitting a free throw to extend the Broncos’ lead 22-11, their momentum stalled.
The Pioneers forced the Broncos into foul trouble and slowly cut away at the deficit. Forward Sierra Morris made three free throws, followed by a 3-pointer from forward Krista Sheaffer to cut the Broncos’ lead 22-17.
Guards Brielle Minor and Marques opened the scoring for the Broncos, contributing to a 17-8 run that stretched the lead to 39-25. Both Minor and Marques each recorded double-digit performances, with Marques scoring 22 points and Minor contributing 15 points off the bench.
“I think that has been a big part of what I’ve been working on this year, which is being more of an offensive threat,” said Minor. “I was really glad that I was able to push the pace and get the ball up the floor and in the basket.”
The Broncos exploded in the third quarter, outscoring the Pioneers 27-10. CPP’s defense shut out the Pioneers’ offense, forcing them to take more contested shots as the Pioneers shot 5-17 (29%) from the field compared to CPP’s 11-18 (61%).
CPP continued its aggressive attack, driving down the paint with three layups from Nelson, Marques and sophomore center Khamiyah Anderson, lifting the Broncos up 74-43.
Despite the Pioneers outscoring CPP 23-15 in the fourth, they could not overcome the deficit as the Broncos secured the 81-58 victory.
Following the win, the Broncos traveled to San Francisco to face San Francisco State. The Broncos came out of the gates swinging, starting with guard Kalaya Buggs’ 3-pointer to open the aggressive attack.
Buggs delivered an all-around performance, leading the Broncs with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, recording a triple-double — the fifth in the program’s history.
“It feels good to be able to get that finally,” Buggs said. “I know I’ve been close a couple of times in my career. I’m just grateful that everyone had enough trust in me in order to make that accomplishment.”
The Broncos raced to an early 11-0 lead, holding the Gators’ offense scoreless through the first six minutes of play.
Nelson drove down the paint to sink a layup, continuing the fast-paced offense for the Broncos.
The Broncos outscored the Gators 20-4, shooting 7-11 (63%), while the Gators shot 1-12 (8%).
Head coach Danelle Bishop highlighted the team’s preparations for the matchup and noted rebounding was a key component to their victory.
“Our whole mentality was that they (San Francisco State) have a lot of good pieces, and if we gave them any confidence, it could affect the game,” said Bishop. “We had to come in with a defensive mindset and adjust to some things that we did not do well on Thursday.”
The Broncos continued their offensive run in the second quarter, with Nelson setting up a jumper in what would be her 16th consecutive game, reaching double-digits.
The Broncos continued to build on their lead throughout the second quarter, as they outscored their opponents 18-6, adding to a 38-10 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Broncos didn’t let up, with Ha setting the tone by draining two 3-pointers, followed by a layup from Marques as the Broncos continued to extend their lead to 46-10.
Buggs highlighted the team’s success on both sides of the ball, which led to a 39-point advantage.
“Just being aggressive,” Buggs said. “I think we’ve been doing a good job of the last four games of us coming out first and playing the game. We know how to play. Being aggressive on defense, getting stops, pressuring the ball and trying to rebound and push the ball on offense.”
While the Gators managed to find some rhythm on offense, the Broncos continued to widen the gap, outscoring them 18-12 with a layup by Buggs to end the third quarter 56-22.
The Gators continued to chip away at the deficit with a 7-2 run in the first four minutes of play, cutting the lead to 58-28.
Forward Hunter Hudson scored the first points for the Broncos with an assist from Buggs.
Despite the Gators’ late push, they couldn’t close the gap, and the Broncos sealed the victory with a 71-36 score.
With the win, the Broncos improve their overall record to 16-2.
Feature image courtesy of Leroy Crook