By Cael Cross, March 17, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team fell short in the California Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball tournament final March 7, losing 78-62 to Cal State Los Angeles at Kellogg Arena.
The top-seeded Broncos uncharacteristically struggled from the field, shooting 37.7% after leading the conference in field goal percentage at 43.1% during the regular season.
The Golden Eagles alternatively shot well from downtown, going 9-17 from long-range. The Broncos have struggled defending the outside shot in their losses recently, giving up 11 threes to Cal Poly Humboldt in their loss to the Lumberjacks Feb. 21.
“When we played Humboldt, we had a tough time with their shooters, and tonight I think we also had a tough time closing out,” guard Andrea Stajic said. “On all of our losses that was something that we struggled with.”
Head coach Danelle Bishop also recognized the defensive struggles against Los Angeles.
“We struggled with some defensive concepts that we kind of relied on all season, and we’ve been pretty good at,” Bishop said. “Tonight just wasn’t there.”
The first quarter was full of nerves for both sides. Shots struggled to fall on both ends, with only five points scored between the two teams in the first five minutes. Stajic, who’s had the hot hand in recent weeks averaging 19 points per game, ignited the offense for the Broncos, draining two 3-pointers to take an 8-4 lead.
Forward Mariah Blake came off the bench for the Golden Eagles and provided a much-needed spark, hounding the glass before trading layups with CPP guard Brielle Minor at the end of the quarter to give Los Angeles a 13-12 lead.
Stajic started the second quarter with a chase-down block on forward Amaya Fuentes. Minor then split a double team off a pick-and-roll before dishing off a no-look pass to forward Hunter Hudson for an easy score to close the gap to two.
Los Angeles began to pull away after knocking down multiple 3-pointers. The Golden Eagles, despite only shooting 35.3% from the field in the second, had all their field goals come from the perimeter, going 6-8 from behind the arc. All-CCAA First Team guard Sofia Fidelus led the charge, going 3-3 from downtown in the quarter.
The Broncos fought hard to cut down the lead. Stajic drilled a step-back 3-pointer, and Minor ran the break for an easy two to make it 28-25.
However, Fidelus made CPP pay for not closing out, connecting on a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to give the Golden Eagles a 33-25 lead to close out the half.
The Broncos fell into a deeper hole in the third quarter, allowing CCAA Player of the Year Neviah Asiasi to go on a 7-0 run by herself to extend the Golden Eagles lead, 40-29.
CPP forward Syndey Nelson came out aggressive on the offensive side to start the second half as well, scoring in the paint and drawing four quick fouls. The All-CCAA First Team forward struggled in the first half, going 3-12 from the field, but scored six of the first seven points for the Broncos in the second half.
Despite the strong offensive play from the Broncos, the Golden Eagles matched their output, not allowing them to shrink the deficit.
Los Angeles lit up CPP in the final four minutes of the quarter, going on a 12-2 run led by Fidelus and Blake to hold a 59-41 advantage heading to the final quarter.
The Golden Eagles continued to hold CPP at bay, finding gaps in the Broncos defense in the corners and at the short corner on the baseline.
The Broncos couldn’t dominate the boards as usual, which was a big factor in their 74-70 victory against Cal State LA a week prior.
CPP began to cut into the lead, as guard Alexis Woodson denied Blake at the rim, while Nelson and Stajic knocked down shots to make it 70-58 with two minutes to go.
Fidelus got a crucial steal, however, pick-pocketing Nelson before knocking down free throws that pushed the game out of reach for the Broncos. Despite an efficient fourth quarter, CPP’s offense woke up too late and fell, 78-62.
Nelson finished the game with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Stajic ended with 16 points, shooting 4-7 from behind the arc.
The Broncos have now lost back-to-back CCAA finals, falling to Cal State Dominguez Hills last season.
Despite the loss, Bishop made known her connection with her team and the strength they have together.
“I love my team,” Bishop said. “We lost tonight, but that does not define our team, and they’re amazing people. Basketball’s a game of ups and downs, but life is precious, and I’m going to roll with these people any day.”
The season’s not over for the Broncos, however, as they’ve earned a spot in the National College Athletics Association West Regional Tournament as the third seed, facing Azusa Pacific University March 13 in Ellensburg, Washington. It’sthe fourth straight season the Broncos have qualified for the NCAA regionals.
Bishop and her squad have high hopes for the tournament.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Bishop said. “Anything can happen. It’s called ‘March Madness’ for a reason.”
Feature image courtesy of Cael Cross
