By Ashanti Velez, March 4, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team secured a 71-49 victory over the San Francisco State Gators Feb. 20 despite a scuffle at the end of the game incited by a player from the opposing team.
As the game ended, Gators’ senior guard Ana Daniels shoved several Broncos players, escalating tensions on the court. The situation quickly grew into a scuffle between the two teams but was quickly dispersed by referees and coaches.
Daniels received two technical fouls for the incident.
“We are taking a learning experience for that,” said Broncos’ head coach Danelle Bishop. “Let the girl chirp. Let her chirp all she wants. We already know who won, and we can talk about scoreboard in the locker room. We have a lot more to lose than them.”
The Broncos came out strong in the first quarter with a layup by forward sophomore Mydrea Moore within the first few seconds of the game. San Francisco State quickly answered with a shot that tied the game. Both teams faced challenges with ball control in the first quarter, with the Gators committing five turnovers to the Broncos’ seven.
The Gators maintained the lead for most of the quarter, but with just two minutes remaining, CPP center sophomore Khamiyah Anderson bounced back and made a turnaround jumper to tie the game 9-9.
Guard Kalaya Buggs passed to guard Breanne Ha, who hit a three-pointer, bringing her just three shots away from breaking her own single-season record.
The Broncos finished the first quarter with a slight 14-12 lead, despite the slow start.
Buggs said the team didn’t play its game in the first half.
“In the second half, we did a better job dictating what we wanted them to do,” Buggs said. “So we were able to get stops to cause them to take forced or fast shots. We were able to get easy buckets that way.”
The Broncos found themselves behind the Gators after they hit a 3-pointer to begin the second quarter 15-14.
Buggs responded with a 3-pointer a few minutes later, keeping the game close. The Gators quickly closed the gap, scoring 13 points in the second quarter while the Broncos managed 12.
The Broncos maintained their lead, finishing the second quarter just 1 point ahead of the Gators 26-25.
Broncos senior guard Cooke Marques said the team had to wake up and figure out how to handle Gators’ game.
“We needed to step up for each other and hold each other accountable,” Marques said.
The Broncos quickly regained their momentum in the third quarter. Buggs made another 3- pointer, giving the Broncos a 29-27 lead and a series of back-to-back shots throughout the quarter.
The Broncos made an impressive 23 shots in the third quarter, while the Gators managed only 10. By the end of the quarter, the Broncos’ performance put them ahead 49-35.
Marques kicked off the final quarter for the Broncos with a layup, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
The Broncos continued their strong performance hitting back-to-back shots within the first four minutes of the final quarter, before the Gators managed to secure two free throws.
Despite this, the Broncos remained determined, and Anderson added a layup to keep the momentum going. In the final two minutes, the Broncos went on a 7-point scoring streak, as junior guard Alexis Woodson secured the final layup to seal the game.
Buggs scored 18 points and recorded 6 assists, while Marques contributed 12 points and two assists, which helped lead the Broncos to a victory over the Gators 71-49.
The Broncos continued their winning streak with a dominant 87-51 win over Cal State East Bay Feb. 22, following their victory over the San Fransico State Gators. Moore captured the spotlight with an impressive 23-point performance.
The Broncos gained momentum as Moore sunk multiple 3-pointers in the first quarter, maintaining their dominance throughout the game. They not only held the lead in every quarter, but delivered an especially strong performance in the final quarter, leaving no doubt they were there to win against East Bay.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics