By: Isaac Cox, Feb. 11, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team fell to the Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks with a missed game-winning shot but returned to upset the No. 24 nationally ranked Chico State Wildcats at Kellogg Arena during the Green and Gold Block Party Feb.1.
The Broncos struggled to connect on their shots against Cal Poly Humboldt, resulting in a missed shot opportunity to win the game. But the team showed a better performance against Chico State.
The Broncos had one of its best starts in weeks collecting 10 points within five minutes of the game leading 10-6 against Chico State.
That momentum started to fade as the Wildcats gained momentum throughout the first half, but it still wasn’t enough to stop the Broncos.
Guard Demarreya Lewis-Cooper started firing on all cylinders, providing jump shots for the Broncos throughout both halves of the game.
“I felt satisfied with my performance,” said Lewis-Cooper. “We came out with the dub. Shoutout to my teammates, I couldn’t do it without them.”
The Broncos collected more rebounds and showed grit throughout the game, snagging a total of 47 rebounds compared to 33 rebounds when they faced the Lumberjacks.
The Wildcats played went 12-29 in field goals taken and had a better shooting percentage sitting at 41.38%. But going into the second half, they struggled shooting from deep — going 3-18 from 3-point range — and the team couldn’t capitalize and hold onto the lead.
Broncos head coach Greg Kamansky made halftime adjustments defensively, creating opportunities for the Broncos. as three stolen attempts were successful against the Wildcats.
The Broncos also gained a total of four blocks in the game and three steals within five minutes of the second half, stopping the Wildcats defensively in massive moments of the game.
Chico State’s flow was disrupted by costly fouls that led the Broncos to successful scoring drives.
The Broncos had their best lead of the night, at 45-37 against the Wildcats with 13 minutes left in the game and maintained it the rest of the game.
The Broncos struggled to shoot from deep, going for 4-20 from 3-point range, but finished in the paint with forward Jordan Carpenter leading the way with 8 points.
Carpenter dominated the last 10 minutes of the game, stealing the show for the Broncos as he came in fast with high-offensive skills. He hit a spin move to fake out the Wildcats in the paint, scoring 2 points with 6:50 left in the game sitting at 54-47 Broncos.
The Broncos only missed seven 3-point shot attempts in the second half compared to 16 in the first and played well in the paint offensively against the nationally ranked opponent.
Guard Jaden Winfield was also unstoppable collecting 10 rebounds and 15 points, a double-double, and causing Broncos fans to almost rush the court multiple times during the game.
“Having the home crowd behind you is always a great feeling,” said Winfield. “It brings energy from the bench to the floor. It’s all in perfect sync and it was good to have them rowdy like that.”
Broncos guard Shyheim Parm dunked in the last few minutes of play, set up by Carpenter’s blocked shot, leading them to a 65-54 victory and erupting the crowd of fans once more.
The Broncos faced the Lumberjacks, defeating them 75-69 on the road at Lumberjack Stadium on Jan. 11, but struggled to come out on top at home Jan. 31.
The Broncos lost 57-55, struggling to gain any momentum throughout each half and had a difficult time collecting rebounds against the rival Cal Poly team.
“We just got dominated on the board,” said Broncos Head Coach Greg Kamansky. “That’s how we lost the game. We gave up an offensive rebound for a putback and that’s something that needed to be addressed.”
Broncos guards Miles Lewis and Lewis-Cooper clutched up offensively together as they both scored a total of 23 points, with Lewis-Cooper earning 4 steals in the first half and another in the second half and collected 4 rebounds. Lewis recorded 11 points, a rebound and steal in his 22-minute performance.
Forward Caleb Nelson and center/forward Kevin Simeth both contributed 6 rebounds. Simeth collected a defensive rebound in the final seconds of the matchup, passed it to Lewis in a last-second attempt to win the game, but it fell short resulting in 57-55 for the Broncos.
The Broncos now sit with a record of 11-9 on the season and return home to face Sonoma State Feb. 13 and Cal State San Marcos Feb. 15.
Feature image courtesy of Christian Magdaleno