POMONA, Calif. - In front of a spirited Kellogg Gym crowd of 1,103 fans, the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team captured a West Region title with a 68-61 win over Grand Canyon Monday.

It's the first regional crown since 2002 and 13th overall for the Broncos, who will now head to St. Joseph, Mo., to compete in the Elite Eight stage of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Up next for CPP (28-4) will be a quarterfinal matchup against 19th-ranked Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday, March 22. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

"It's been a while since this program has been on top," Megan Ford said after the postgame ceremony in Pomona. "And we're back," Sarah Semenero chimed in.

In the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll, the Lopes (29-3) came in at No. 7 while the Broncos ranked 23rd.

Reyana Colson led all scorers with 28 points, earning selection as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Semenero and Ford joined Colson on the All-Tournament Team for the CPP side, while Samantha Murphy and Jallisa Butler of GCU also received the honor.

The Broncos jumped out to a 6-0 lead, bringing to the CPP crowd to its feet. The hosts continued to push their margin behind a frenetic defense, holding the 'Lopes to just two points through the first 11 minutes. At that point, the Broncos held a 14-2 lead.

The GCU squad didn't fade though, as the 'Lopes chipped away and outscored CPP 17-12 across the final nine minutes of the period. That left the halftime score at 26-19 in favor of the Broncos.

GCU maintained its momentum in the second half, starting the period on a 6-2 spurt, which featured four points from Butler. CPP kicked its advantage up to double digits, when La'kenya Simon West knocked down a trey at the 14:15 mark to make the score 39-29.

The distance between the two squads remained at about that level for much of the remainder, until the Lopes made one more dramatic run. A layup from GCU's Rosalyn Nelson cut the margin down to three, 60-57, with 1:19 to play. Then, Ford sunk a jumper from atop the free throw line with 56 seconds left, bringing the score to 62-57.

Butler helped the Lopes rally again, dropping in a layup with 35 on the clock to bring it to a one-possession game again. Rosslyn Beard and Semenero proved clutch at the strike though for the Broncos, going a combined 4-for-4 in the final 20 seconds to help CPP secure the West Region title.

The atmopshere in Kellogg Gym was tremendous, with the crowd of 1,103 fans on their feet for much of the game.

2011 NCAA Divison II West Region All-Tournament Team
Reyana Colson, Cal Poly Pomona - Most Outstanding Player
Megan Ford, Cal Poly Pomona
Sarah Semenero, Cal Poly Pomona
Jalissa Butler, Grand Canyon
Samantha Murphy, Grand Canyon