By Benjamin Grover, February 3, 2026
A Cal Poly Humboldt buzzer-beater Jan. 22 snapped the Broncos women’s basketball team’s perfect record with a 57-56 loss, their first since November.
Freshman guard for the Lumberjacks Keana Gosney, who had only shot 1-2 from the field the entire game, dealt the final blow for the Broncos after making a deep corner two with only two seconds left on the clock.
“In previous games we had been getting away with a few things, missing a few defensive assignments,” head coach Danelle Bishop said. “… When you play good teams, you can’t afford those small errors, and it kind of caught up with us.”
In addition to missed defensive matchups, the Broncos struggled from the free-throw line in the clutch, missing half of their free-throws in the fourth quarter, shooting 4-8 from the line. Bishop also credited this for the loss.
The Broncos also had their worst three-point shooting performance all year, shooting 1-16 from beyond the arch. This was the only time making a single three-pointer since their only other loss this season against Azuza Pacific University.
Despite the Broncos shooting flaws, they kept the Lumberjacks within reach through 15 lead changes up until the final shot.
The Broncos also stayed true to their defensive identity, holding the Lumberjacks to their fourth lowest points scored this season.
Junior forward Sydney Nelson scored 21 points, shooting 8-14 from the field while also collecting four rebounds.
Senior guard Alexis Woodson also provided a much-needed spark to the Broncos offense. Woodson came off the bench for Nelson in the first quarter and scored six points in two minutes, helping propel the Broncos to a first quarter lead.
“I was just in the right spot,” Woodson said. “I just kept tracing the ball, was focused on getting my rebounds and never gave up on the plays.”
The second quarter saw the Broncos worst scoring performance of the game, being held scoreless for a six-minute period after Woodson opened the scoring with a jumper.
Freshman center for the Lumberjacks Jordyn Smith took command of the second, scoring 10 of Humboldt’s 18 points in the quarter while also collecting five rebounds and one block.
The Broncos rebounded in the third with five separate scorers, led by Nelson who tacked on six points and three rebounds.
The third also saw sisters Kadence and Kyori Lloyd battle point for point. Both sisters scored four in the quarter with junior forward Kyori Lloyd recording three rebounds for the Lumberjacks and freshman guard Kadence Lloyd providing an assist, one rebound and a steal for CPP.
“It was awkward,” Kadence Lloyd said. “I was a little upset at her losing by one, but it was a fun experience. I think it was a blessing in my eyes.”
With the score separating the teams by only one point and the Broncos leading 44-43, the tight margins would become the theme of the fourth quarter.
The Broncos worked the score up to a three-point lead with two minutes gone in the fourth, only to be hit with back-to-back threes from the Lumberjacks, which killed the Broncos’ momentum.
Both Nelson and Woodson found the basket late to give the Broncos a 54-53 lead with 40 seconds left on the clock until Smith hit a jumper with 16 seconds remaining to give the Lumberjacks the lead 55-54.
Nelson thought she won it after scoring a layup with only 13 seconds remaining on the clock. But it wasn’t to be for the Broncos, as Goseny closed it out for the Lumberjacks, sending Lumberjack Arena into a frenzy and giving the Lumberjacks the win.
“It was a long and fun streak, but at the same time we needed to clean up some things moving into the second stretch of conference,” Bishop said. “You hate those moral losses, but for our team I think it could have potentially been a good loss.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics