By Ashanti Velez, April 14, 2026
The 2025-26 season came to an end for Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team March 24 against Alabama Huntsville after falling short 61-53 in the Division II NCAA Elite Eight.
The Broncos won 29 games during the 2025-26 campaign, marking the most in a season since 1989-90. Forward Sydney Nelson was honored as a First Team All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and interviewed by Sports Central LA alongside head coach Danelle Bishop.
“This season, we’ve had a lot of people that would say that we’re the underdogs or maybe wouldn’t expect us to make it this far,” Nelson said. “I think at the beginning of the year, we were ranked second in conference. They assumed that we would make it to second place. We ended up being first in the conference. We’re West Regional Champions, and we made it, to Pittsburgh for the Elite Eight.”
Nelson led the Broncos in the Elite Eight matchup with a game high 22 points and nine rebounds. Guard Andera Stajic added 11 points, six rebounds and one assist, while guard Kadence Lloyd’s 10 points, three rebounds and one assist also added key runs.
Nelson started the first quarter strong for the Broncos, scoring a layup in the paint within two minutes into the game. As the quarter went on, the Broncos continued back and forth with points from Stajic, Moore and Nelson.
Stajic knocked down a jumper in the last 30 seconds of the quarter, giving the Broncos a one-point advantage, 13-12.
“We were able to get a good start at the beginning of the game, which was lots of fun,” Stajic said. “We were able to gain a lead as well, and it was really nice to be a part of that.”
The Broncos continued their momentum in the second as center Khamiyah Anderson opened with a layup, followed by a jumper ten seconds later. CPP continued a shooting streak with a three-pointer by Stajic, but Alabama Huntsville stayed close behind midway through the quarter.
Alabama Huntsville managed to get two free throws from guards Lili Wilken and Bella White with four minutes left, while forward Paris Opelt added a layup. Despite the Chargers consistency, CPP secured a 12-point lead going into halftime.
Alabama Huntsville aggressively opened the third quarter with a jumper by Opelt. However, Nelson answered with a layup, bringing the Broncos to a 37-25 lead.
According to Bishop, the defense had three players guarding Nelson in the second half. However, she still described Nelson’s impact as strong, adding she helped the team build a lead and responded well when the defense collapsed on her.
“Syd is great,” Bishop said. “She’s First Team All American. There is only 10 in the country. She was named that for a reason, and she really put on a display.”
The Chargers tried to push through, trading back and forth shots against CPP, but the Broncos momentum rose above Alabama Huntsville. With seven seconds remaining in the quarter, Nelson added another layup in the paint to secure a seven-point lead.
Alabama-Huntsville’s energy sparked a run in the fourth, starting with two shots from guard Lili Wilken and guard Chloe Siegel. While Nelson added a layup for CPP, the Chargers responded with four baskets, allowing them to gain the lead by five points.
Despite the Broncos being down, they continued to add shots, but the Chargers momentum continued throughout the rest of the quarter. They built up to a nine-point lead with 24 seconds remaining. Then, Wilken sealed the deal with a final shot in the last 15 seconds, coming back 61-53.
Nelson said that one of her biggest factors in improvement this year was putting extra work outside of games and practices. It helps her handle tough situations, Nelson said, and she was proud that she stepped out of her comfort zone by being more vocal and taking on a stronger leadership role.
“A constant reminder that you can have in the back of your head is to remind ourselves and remind myself how hard you need to go every day and every game, but especially in practice is a time to make the mistakes and, go extremely hard, and be extra, so that when you go in the game, it kind of feels easy, and it kind of, comes to you,” Nelson said.
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
