CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2005
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004-05 CPP Record: 15-4. CCAA Record: 10-2
2004-05 National
Ranking: 17
2004-05 Regional
Ranking: 4
Broncos Return Home For A Big
Weekend Of CCAA Games: After sweeping
two more California Collegiate Athletic Association road games last week to run
its win streak to seven, Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team will play a
pair of key California Collegiate Athletic Association contests in Kellogg Gym
this week. The Broncos will host two-time defending CCAA champion Cal State
Bakersfield on Friday night on “Bring Back The Pack
Night” in Kellogg Gym. All Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty and staff will be
admitted free and are invited to a free tailgate party outside the gym
beginning at 4:30 p.m.
There will be free pizza, a live disc jockey and drinks. There will also be
free giveaways during the game as well as live performances by the Cal Poly
Pomona cheer squad, the Bronco Pep Band and other dance performances during
halftimes. The Broncos will then host Cal State L.A. on Saturday night. The
Broncos are currently in a three-way tie for first in the CCAA with Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills. Cal Poly
Pomona is coming off another outstanding season. The Broncos reached the NCAA
Division II West Region championship game at Seattle Pacific and became the
only Division II program to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the
past five years. Cal Poly Pomona also posted playoff wins over Chico State and
Cal State Bakersfield, giving the Broncos 48 postseason wins, which is the most
among all Division II programs. Cal Poly Pomona remains tied with North Dakota State
for most national championships won (5). The Broncos won back-to-back titles in
2001 and 2002. The Broncos have three starters returning, including Candice
Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the 2004 CCAA Player of the Year
and the leading scorer in the NCAA Division II. Other starters back are Brandi
Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS), a second-team All-CCAA
forward in 2003, and Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS).
About Last Week: The Broncos remained in a three-way tie for first place in the
California Collegiate Athletic Association after road wins over San Francisco State and Sonoma State. Cal Poly Pomona completed a stretch of
eight road games in 10 contests. The Broncos opened the weekend with an 82-60
win at San
Francisco State on Friday. Cal Poly Pomona trailed at
halftime, 35-31, but outscored the Gators, 51-25, in the second half. Candice
Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona) led the Broncos with a game-high 39
points and eight rebounds, Ashley Moody (Fr., Carson, King Drew HS) added a
season-high 11 points, while Lauren Stayton (Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State) had
eight points and six rebounds. The Broncos took the lead for good early in the
second half and broke it open with a 23-8 run that extended a 47-44 lead to 70-52
with 5:43 to go.
The Broncos then fought off Sonoma State, 72-69, Saturday night in Seawolf Gym. Allen once again led the Broncos with 35
points, seven rebounds and two steals. Natasha Reed (Fr., San Francisco, Deer
Valley HS) had eight points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while Brandi
Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had eight points, five rebounds and
five steals. The Broncos shot just 36.6 percent and misfired on 18 of their 22
attempts from behind the 3-point arc. The Broncos led at halftime, 40-37, but
then fell behind, 62-59. The Broncos took the lead for good on an Allen jumper
that broke a 66-66 tie with 4:18 remaining. Sonoma State trailed by just one point, 70-69, and had
the ball, but the Broncos forced a turnover with 11 seconds to go. Unique Anderson (Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon
HS) hit two free throws left to ice the game.
Allen Leading NCAA In Scoring Once Again: Kodak All-American Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the reigning California Collegiate Athletic
Association Player of the Year, is playing sensationally again in the 2004-05
season. After leading the nation in scoring last season by averaging 24.5
points per game, Allen is leading the NCAA Division II in scoring again this
year at 30.3 points per game. Allen is shooting 47.7 percent from the field
(194-407) and has knocked down 48 percent of her 3-point attempts (36-75). She
has also made 152 of 180 free-throw tries. She leads the CCAA in 3-point
field-goal percentage (48.0 percent), is tied for first in free-throw
percentage (84.4 percent) and is second in steals (3.11). Allen set a new Cal
Poly Pomona and CCAA single-game scoring record when she poured in 50 points
against Glenville
State on Dec. 11. She also has a 45-point game at
Cal State Stanislaus, a 39-point effort at San Francisco State and 38 points at Cal State L.A. and Cal
State Dominguez Hills. She has been named the CCAA Player of the Week three
times this season. She was honored for the week of Jan. 24-30 after lifting the
Broncos to wins at Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Monterey Bay. She had 38 points and 12 rebounds to lead
the Broncos past the Toros and she had 32 points, 12
rebounds and seven assists against the Otters. She was also honored for the
week of Dec. 6-12 when she shared the award with Chico State’s Kim Abts. Allen
had a CCAA-record 50 points against Glenville State and 32 points against Northwest Nazarene.
She also won the award for the week of Nov. 29 – Dec. 5. She had 30 points in a
104-85 win over Sonoma State and then added 31 points and grabbed six rebounds
to lead the Broncos past San Francisco State, 93-61.
Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona
is 6-5 all-time against Cal State Bakersfield and lost to the Roadrunners,
86-74, on Jan. 8 in Bakersfield. Brandi
Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead
four Broncos in double figures. Shanika Perkins (Jr.,
Oakland, Oakland HS) had a
season-high 15 points, while Natasha Reed (Fr., San
Francisco, Deer Valley HS) had her first career
double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Broncos beat the Roadrunners
twice in three meetings last year. The two programs split during the regular
season with each team winning on the other’s home court. The Broncos then beat
the Roadrunners, 87-84, on March 13 at Seattle Pacific in the NCAA Division II
West Region. The win advanced the Broncos to their fourth Sweet Sixteen
appearance in the past five years, a total no other Division II program can
match. Cal Poly Pomona is 60-4 all-time against Cal State L.A. and beat the
Golden Eagles, 86-61, on Jan. 7 in Los Angeles.
Let Us Introduce Ourselves: Cal Poly Pomona has several
new players on its roster, including six freshmen. Sahfiya
Brown (Fr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS), Ashley Moody (Fr., Carson, King Drew HS),
Unique Anderson (Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS), Sasha Goldkorn (Fr., Moreno Valley, Canyon Springs HS), Porsche’ Kirksey (Fr., Gardena, Junipero Serra HS) and Natasha Reed (Fr., San Francisco, Deer Valley
HS) give the Broncos one of their best and deepest freshman classes in several
years. Shyrah Thomas (Sr., Inglewood,
San Francisco
State) joins the active roster
after being a redshirt last season and Lauren Stayton
(Jr., Inglewood, Fresno
State) returns after one year away
from competition.
Look Who’s Back: Leading the list of talented players
returning for the Broncos is the California Collegiate Athletic Association
Player of the Year, Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario,
University of Arizona).
Allen led the NCAA Division II in scoring with a 24.5
points per game average. She was also second on the team in rebounding with 6.1
per game and second in assists with 2.9 per game. Allen also led the team in
steals with 77 or 2.6 per game. Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch
HS), who was third on the team in scoring last year with 10.2 points per game,
is back and so is starting guard Shanika Perkins
(Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS), who averaged 6.7 points per game. Britt Sumida
(Sr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS), one of the leaders of the team, is another key returner, Alexis Wilson (Jr., Wayzata, MN, Wayzata HS) is
back for her third year and Khiara Ferguson (So., Gardena,
Bishop Montgomery HS) and Ge’Yanni Polk (So., San Leandro, San Lorenzo HS) return for their second seasons
with the Broncos.
Where We Left Off: The Broncos completed another
successful season in 2003-04 with a 23-7 overall record and a spot in the NCAA
Division II West Region championship game. Cal Poly Pomona reached the Sweet
Sixteen for the fourth time in the past five seasons, a total unmatched by any
other Division II program. Included in that run, of course, are national
championships in 2001 and 2002. Cal Poly Pomona was 17-5 in the California
Collegiate Athletic Association and finished second. The Broncos, the No. 3
seed in the West Region, won its first-round game against No. 6 Chico State,
74-70. Cal Poly Pomona got 30 points and six assists from Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario,
University
of Arizona) and 10 points and 17
rebounds from Keila Beachem
(Sr., Chicago, Ill.,
University of Kansas).
The Broncos then rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to beat Cal State
Bakersfield, 87-84, in the second round. Beachem had
a huge game with 28 points and 20 rebounds, while Allen contributed 26 points.
After the Roadrunners took an 84-83 lead on a pair of free throws with five
seconds left, Allen was inexplicably fouled while trying to catch an inbounds
pass. She hit both free throws to give the Broncos an 85-84 lead and then,
after a Cal State Bakersfield turnover, was fouled hard from behind, but picked
herself up to hit two more free throws with one second left to account for the
final margin. Cal Poly Pomona then fell to undefeated tourney host Seattle
Pacific, 80-63, in the championship game. The Broncos shot just 33 percent.
Marisa Lattin capped her Cal Poly Pomona career with
a team-high 20 points.
The Thomas Guide: Paul Thomas is in his 11th season
as Cal Poly Pomona’s head coach. Thomas was named the 2001-02 NCAA Division II
Coach of the Year by the WBCA and by the Division II Bulletin. He was also the
WBCA District 8 Coach of the Year and the CCAA Co-Coach of the Year. He has won
four conference Coach of the Year awards. Thomas has a
record of 219-88 at Cal Poly Pomona and has guided the Broncos into the postseason
in seven out of the past eight seasons. Cal Poly Pomona has a 14-5 record in
the NCAA Division II playoffs under Thomas and has won 12 of its last 13
postseason games. The Broncos have also won five CCAA titles during the Thomas
years, including three in the past five seasons.
How About Those Rings:
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more star-studded coaching staff in the NCAA
Division II. Head Coach Paul Thomas has a pair of championship rings he earned
while guiding the Broncos to back-to-back national titles in 2001 and 2002. He
was named the 2001-02 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the Women’s
Basketball Coaches’ Association and the Division II Bulletin. Assistant coach Tasha Burnett has a championship ring she earned as a
Bronco player in 2001. She tied an NCAA record by hitting all 11 of her
field-goal attempts in a national quarterfinal victory over Pace
University. She made the All-Elite
Eight Tournament team.
Program History: The Broncos’ two postseason wins in
2004 and the back-to-back national championships in 2001 and 2002 have just
added to the program’s rich history. The Broncos have the most postseason
victories (48) in NCAA Division II and are tied with North
Dakota State for
the most national championships (5). The
Broncos have also reached the regional championship game in four of the past
five years, which is more than any other Division II team. Their 19 NCAA
postseason appearances are second overall to Bentley and the .774 postseason
winning percentage leads all Division II programs. Cal
Poly Pomona has also reached the national title game eight times, has five
national Player of the Year winners (Jackie White, 1983; Vickie Mitchell, 1986;
Debra Larsen, 1987; Cathy Gooden, 1989 and Lauri
McIntosh, 2002; five Most Outstanding Players in the NCAA Tournament (Jackie
White, 1982; Vickie Mitchell, 1985; Debra Larsen, 1986; Aprile
Powell, 2001; Lauri McIntosh, 2002), 36 All-American
awards earned by 20 different players, 18 CCAA titles and 10 CCAA Player of the
Year awards. Counting the five SCCA titles the Broncos won before joining the
CCAA, Cal Poly Pomona has captured 23 conference titles.
PLAYER NOTES
2 SAHFIYA
BROWN (F, Fr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)
Last Week: DNP-CD. Is sidelined for
the year with a knee injury.
2004-05: Averaging 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.0
assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04). Assists – None.
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
4 CANDICE ALLEN (G, Sr., Ontario,
University of Arizona)
Last Week: Had 39 points, eight rebounds and four steals against San
Francisco State on Friday; had 35 points, seven rebounds, and two steals
against Sonoma State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 30.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per
game. Leads the NCAA Division II in scoring. Shooting 47.7 percent from the floor. Set new Cal Poly
Pomona and CCAA single-game record with 50 points against Glenville
State on Dec. 11. Tied CCAA
single-game record for most free throws made (20) and attempted (23) against Cal
State Stanislaus on Jan. 15. Also leads the team in assists and steals and is
second in rebounding. Leads the conference in scoring,
3-point field goal percentage and steals.
Season Highs: Points –
50 vs. Glenville State
(12-11-04); Rebounds – 15 vs. UC San
Diego (1-22-05);
Assists – 7 at Cal
State Monterey Bay
(1-29-05).
Career Highs: Points –
50 vs. Glenville State
(12-11-04); Rebounds – 15 vs. UC San Diego (1-22-05);
Assists – 7 at Cal State Monterey
Bay (1-29-05), at Cal State Bakersfield (1-30-04), vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-6-04).
5 BRITT SUMIDA (G, Sr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS)
Last Week: Had three points, two assists, and one steal
against San Francisco State on Friday; went scoreless with one steam
against Sonoma State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.4
points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Is second on the team in assists
and is third on the team in 3-point field goals made.
Season Highs: Points
– 8 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 3 vs. Glenville
State (12-11-04); Assists – 5 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04).
Career Highs: Points
– 11 vs. Pt. Loma Nazarene (11-29-03);
Rebounds – 3 vs. Glenville State (12-11-04), vs. UC San Diego (2-21-03); Assists – 5 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04).
10 ASHLEY
MOODY (G, Fr., Carson, King Drew HS)
Last Week: Had a season-high 11 points, and one rebound against San
Francisco State on Friday; went scoreless with one steal against Sonoma State on
Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.8 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 11
at San Francisco State (2-04-05); Rebounds
– 5 at Cal State Stanislaus (1-15-05); Assists
– 2 at Cal State Monterey Bay (1-29-05), vs. UC San Diego
(1-22-05), vs. Grand
Canyon (12-14-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
14 NATASHA REED (F, Fr., San
Francisco, Deer
Valley HS)
Last Week: Had eight points, a season-high 13 rebounds and two blocked
shots against Sonoma State
on Saturday; had three points, four rebounds, two blocked shots and one assist
against San Francisco State
on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per
game. Leads the team in rebounding and is fourth in scoring.
Season Highs: Points – 16
at Cal State
Monterey Bay
(1-29-05); Rebounds – 13 at Sonoma
State (2-05-05); Assists
– 3 vs. Sonoma State
(12-3-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
20 SHANIKA
PERKINS (G, Jr., Oakland, Oakland
HS)
Last Week: Had three points, one rebound and one assist against Sonoma
State on Saturday; had two points, one
rebound and two steals against San Francisco
State on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per
game. Is second on the team in 3-point field goals made (22),
third in assists and fifth in scoring.
Season Highs: Points –
15 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-8-05); Rebounds
– 7 Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); Assists
– 5 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04).
Career Highs: Points –
17 vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (12-13-03); Rebounds – 10 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (2-13-04); Assists
– 5 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. Chico
State (1-2-04).
21 SASHA GOLDKORN (G, Fr., Moreno Valley, Canyon Springs HS)
Last Week: Had one assist in limited action against San
Francisco State on
Friday, DNP-CD against Sonoma State
on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.8 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 3
vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04); Rebounds
– 1 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. San Francisco
State (12-4-04); Assists
– 1 at San Francisco State
(2-04-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
22 KHIARA FERGUSON (C, So., Gardena,
Bishop Montgomery HS)
Last Week: Had two points and three rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday; had two points
and two rebounds against San Francisco
State on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.1 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Glenville
State (12-11-04); Assists
– 1 vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04).
Career Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Glenville State
(12-11-04); Assists – 1 vs. San
Francisco State (12-4-04), at UC San
Diego (1-9-04).
23 SHYRAH THOMAS (F, Sr., Inglewood,
San Francisco State)
Last Week: Had six points, two rebounds, and three steals against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had three points, two rebounds, three assists, and one steal against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05);
Rebounds – 6 at Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 3 at Sonoma
State (2-05-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos
24 BRANDI FLETCHER (F, Jr., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS)
Last Week: Had eight points, five rebounds, one assist and five
steals against Sonoma State
on Saturday; had two points, four rebounds and one steal against San
Francisco State on
Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.
Is second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding.
Season Highs: Points – 18
vs. UC San Diego (1-22-05); Rebounds
– 11 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05) Assists – 3 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05), Cal State
Monterey Bay (1-29-05).
Career Highs: Points –
25 at Sonoma State
(3-1-03); Rebounds – 11 at Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-6-04).
25 RACHEL
GATDULA (G, So., Covina, St. Lucy’s Priory)
Last Week: Had one rebound in limited action San
Francisco State on
Friday; went scoreless in limited action against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.3 points, 0.2
rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 2
at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds
– 1 at San Francisco State
(2-04-05); Assists – 1 at Cal
State Bakersfield
(1-08-05).
Career Highs: Points – 5 vs. Point Loma
Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds – 2 at
Cal
State Stanislaus (1-31-04), at San
Francisco State (1-17-04), at Sonoma
State (1-16-04), at Grand Canyon
(1-10-04), vs. Point Loma
Nazarene (11-29-03); Assists – 2 vs.
Grand Canyon (3-5-04), at Grand Canyon (1-10-04).
32 LAUREN STAYTON (G, Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State)
Last Week: Had eight points, six rebounds, two assists, and three
steals against San Francisco State
on Friday; had four points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per
game. Is third on the team in scoring, fourth in rebounding,
and fourth in assists.
Season Highs: Points –
21 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 7 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04).
Career Highs: Points –
21 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 7 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04).
34 PORSCHE’ KIRKSEY (F, Fr., Gardena, Junipero Serra HS)
Last Week: DNP-CD.
2004-05: Averaging 2.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.0 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 5
vs. Western Washington (12-29-04), vs. Sonoma
State (12-4-04); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Sonoma State
(12-3-04); Assists – None.
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
40 UNIQUE ANDERSON (G, Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS)
Last Week: Had five points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal
against Sonoma State
on Saturday; had two points, one rebound, three assists and two steals against San
Francisco State on
Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 8
at Cal State L.A.
(1-07-05); Rebounds – 6 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 3 at San
Francisco State (2-04-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
42 GE’YANNI POLK (G, So., San
Leandro, San
Leandro HS)
Last Week: Had one rebound in limited action against San
Francisco State on
Friday; DNP-CD against Sonoma State
on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 4
vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas
(11-20-04); Assists – 1 vs. St.
Thomas (11-20-04).
Career Highs: Points – 4
vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas
(11-20-04), at Cal State
Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 1 vs. St.
Thomas (11-20-04).
54 ALEXIS WILSON (F, Jr., Wayzata,
MN, Wayzata HS)
Last Week: Had four points, three rebounds, and two assists against
Sonoma State
on Saturday; had four points, one rebound, and four assists against San
Francisco State on
Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 4 at Cal State Monterey Bay (1-29-05), Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05),
at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04); Assists – 4 at San Francisco State (2-04-05).
Career Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 4 at Cal State Monterey Bay (1-29-05), Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05),
at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. San Francisco
State (2-20-04), at Sonoma State (1-16-04), at Western Washington (12-28-02); Assists –4 at San Francisco State (2-04-05).