By Isaac Cox, March 4, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team extended its win-streak to four games with two wins over San Francisco State and Cal State East Bay Feb. 20 and 22 to secure its ticket to the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.
With a 64-62 victory over the San Francisco State Gators, the Broncos needed one more win to clinch its appearance in the CCAA tournament, defeating Cal State East Bay Pioneers 69-62.
Gaining another opportunity in the CCAA tournament, the men’s basketball team will make its 18th appearance in program history.
The Broncos faced the Pioneers in their last home game in the regular season and head coach Greg Kamansky praised his players on how well they performed against Cal State East Bay, having high spirits throughout the entirety of the game.
Kamansky also highlighted the hard work from the seniors on the team.
“We had a great spirit tonight,” Kamansky said. “That was the biggest thing. There was a great crowd, great spirit and a great way to finish, especially our seniors.”
The games against SF State and Cal East Bay were revenge games since the Broncos previously lost to both teams on the road.
Despite the Broncos trailing against the Pioneers at the start of the first half, they fired on all cylinders and gained momentum and ended with a 36-29 lead going into the second half.
The margin between the Broncos and Pioneers continued to grow in the second with CPP putting up a 12-point lead — the largest of the game.
The Broncos were also successful in getting rebounds, swiping 31 compared to the Pioneers’ 28. And they recorded 15 turnovers, while the Pioneers collected 17.
While the Pioneers attempted a comeback, quickly closing the lead to 3 points with 15 minutes left in the game, the Broncos did not let go of the lead, going on to defeat the Pioneers 69-62.
Broncos’ guard Shyheim Parm was a key factor in the Broncos’ offensive efforts to secure the win, scoring a total of 19 points. Guard Miles Lewis followed shortly behind with 14 points.
The Broncos started off strong in the matchup against the Gators with a 7-0 start. The Broncos carried that momentum into a 13-point lead with 8 minutes left in first half.
However, the Gators were able to cut the lead down to 3 points going into halftime 31-28.
While the Broncos added 3 points at the start of the second half, the Gators built on their earlier momentum, taking the lead within the first two minutes of the second half 32-31. This was also the first time they held the lead in the game.
After going neck-and-neck, the Broncos regained control and recorded successful layups and a 3-pointer by Broncos’ guard Demarreya Lewis-Cooper, regaining the lead 47-40 at 14:03. The Broncos’ 3-point shooting in the second half was a key factor in their victory, as they shot 45% from deep compared to the Gators’ 8%.
Lewis- Cooper also made a crucial play with 10 minutes left as he got a block and recorded a steal in the same drive, preventing the Gators from cutting the lead.
“As a whole, we played well,” Lewis-Cooper said. “It really just starts on the defensive end, and I think our defense has gotten better the last couple games, and that’s what is keeping us in games, leading us to wins.”
The Gators managed to regain the lead by 1 point, 60-59, as they turned the tables with two minutes left.
The Broncos remained calm with one minute left of play, stealing the lead back with a layup and jumper by Jaden Winfield, bringing the score to 63-60.
The Gators responded with a dunk to put them within 1 point with 26 seconds left.
Parm relieved forward Jordan Carpenter but was fouled shortly after, in which he went one for two from the charity stripe and increased the Bronco’s lead by two.
The Gators had one more chance left to make a comeback but failed to capitalize on their shot attempt, resulting in a victory for the Broncos 64-62.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics