By Luke Thomas, March 3, 2026
The Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team fended off Cal Poly Humboldt’s attempt at a late comeback Feb. 21st with a 74-60 victory to win their last home game of the season.
After losing 80-77 at the buzzer two days prior, Humboldt’s team was looking to bounce back for their match against the Broncos for one of the last games of the team’s CCAA schedule. Meanwhile, the Broncos were coming off a win against Chico State with the chance to secure their first double weekend win of the calendar year.
The Broncos and Lumberjacks faced off earlier this year as part of the Cal Poly Clash, where Humboldt defeated CPP with a 74-71 win in overtime, heightening the weekend’s rematch.
After a back and forth for the first five minutes of play, CPP managed to secure a 15-point lead halfway through the first half, with three successful 3-pointers that brought the score to 26-11.
Humboldt tried to bounce back but couldn’t break through CPP’s lead in the half. The Broncos held a strong defense against the Lumberjacks’ 3-pointers, only allowing the team to score 20% of their attempts during the first half.
The half closed with a jump shot by Humboldt’s Brandon Bento-Jackson, but CPP still landed 10 points ahead of the Lumberjacks, 41-31. Guard Malcolm Bell and forward Jake Goldberg led the Broncos in the first half, both securing 12 points.
The Broncos began the second by widening the gap even farther. A handful of scores brought Humboldt 16 points behind, 49-33. By this point, the Lumberjacks needed to get their points up, leading to a push by the team.
Humboldt’s guard Drew Ardouin brought game back into the Lumberjacks with two 3-pointers. Guard Wayne Hampton III and center Shakir Odunewu also scored an additional eight points, bringing them close to tying the Broncos, 54-51.
“We started off strong,” Goldberg said. “We were having fun on the court, (but) in the second half we played a little sloppier in the beginning and lost turnovers.”
But the Broncos pushed back, preventing Humboldt from scoring for seven minutes. Bell led the charge with eight points, bringing the point difference back to 15. The Broncos were leading 74-58 by the last 30 seconds.
“(Humboldt) had a couple runs, we had a couple runs, and at the end of the day, we were able to stop most of theirs,” guard Demarreya Lewis-Cooper said. “That itself was a big part of our success.”
The Lumberjacks were able to score two free throws near the end, but with 24 seconds left on the clock and CPP up 14 points, Humboldt didn’t have any chance of recovery. The ball stayed in place as the clock ticked down, allowing the Broncos to secure the win, 74-60.
The Lumberjacks now sit 11-9 in conference play, remaining tied for third place in the standings, while the Broncos rose to a 15-11 overall record and 10-10 in conference play. The match also keeps CPP ahead by 5-2 in the annual Cal Poly Clash rivalry.
“This time of year, with four games left on fringe of playoffs, we need every game we can,” head coach Greg Kamansky said. “This sets us up for next week on the road. If we can beat Dominguez Hills, which is a team we struggle with, that would really move us forward, so we can play in the conference tournament.”
Feature image courtesy of the CPP Athletics
