POMONA, Calif. – With two losses in its last three games, the 22nd-ranked Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team looks to regain its footing in the conference standings this week with two games at Kellogg Gym.
The second half of the regular season is underway and the Broncos will return to action Thursday when they host No. 1-ranked UC San Diego at 5:30 p.m. In the first meeting between the Broncos and Tritons earlier this year, UCSD came away with a 78-64 victory.
CPP opened last week's action with a 56-53 home loss to San Francisco State. From there, the Broncos captured a 65-50 Friday win at Cal State Dominguez Hills before suffering a 75-65 defeat at Cal State L.A. the next night.
The results dropped the Broncos into
fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. At 8-4 in league play though, CPP is just one conference win behind second-place Cal State Monterey Bay.
Make-a-Wish
Thursday's doubleheader at Kellogg Gym is "Make-a-Wish Night" for the Broncos. Join the athletic department and basketball programs as they recognize the
Make-a-Wish Foundation, a charity that the
Bronco Athletic Association (BAA) supports throughout the year.
Check Your Phone
Not able to attend this week's games and can't get to a computer to watch the live broadcast? Don't worry! We've got you covered with text message alerts so you can follow your favorite team wherever you are. To sign up,
click here.
Semenero to the Rescue
Although the Broncos only managed to secure one victory last week,
Sarah Semenero contributed stellar performances to lead the CPP offense through impressive comeback rallies. On Tuesday against SFSU, Semenero registered her second double-double performance of her career. In that three-point loss to the Gators, she collected 15 points and 10 rebounds.
On Saturday as CPP tried to bounce back from a big halftime deficit against the Golden Eagles, Semenero recorded a career-high 23 points, including 17 in the second half.
Defensive Stand
The 75-point performance by CSULA on Saturday snapped the Broncos' three-game streak of holding opponents to 56 points or fewer. The CPP defense is currently ranked second in the CCAA for keeping its foes to a scoring average of just 57.4 points per game. Semenero remains a standout in the steals category, collecting 2.1 per game - the fifth-best mark in the conference.
Senior center
Megan Ford also remains an important part of the Broncos' defense as she continues to be one of the premier post players in the CCAA on both ends of the floor. The Newhall native ranks 12th in the conference for blocks per game with an average of 0.8.
Scouting the Tritons
CPP defeated the Tritons on March 4 in the second round of the 2011 CCAA Tournament to end UCSD's season. Since that point, the Tritons have built a program-record 18-game winning streak to seize first place in the conference standings and the No. 1 ranking in the national poll. The UCSD offense boasts four players in double figures, with guard Chelsea Carlisle leading the way at 16.4 points per game. In the Dec. 30, 2011, game between the Broncos and Tritons, Carlisle scored a game-high 20 points.
Scouting the Coyotes
Since the CPP win on Dec. 29 that stretched the Coyotes' losing streak to four games, CSUSB has improved its level of play. Through the 2011-12 season the Coyotes are 5-11 overall and 4-8 in CCAA play but over the last seven games, CSUSB has captured three victories. Angela Streets and Eliza Dy, both senior guards, carry the Coyotes' offense with scoring averages of 14.8 and 14.7 respectively. Despite shooting just 34.2 percent on the season, CSUSB has used a low turnover rate - 12.8 - to stay within striking distance of opponents.
