CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2005
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004-05 CPP Record: 16-5. CCAA Record: 11-3
2004-05 National
Ranking: 20
2004-05 Regional
Ranking: 4
Broncos Try To Stay In Title Chase With Key Home Games: After splitting a pair of California
Collegiate Athletic Association home games last weekend, Cal Poly Pomona’s
women’s basketball team will play another pair of key home contests this
weekend. Cal Poly Pomona, ranked 20th in the nation, will host Cal
State Stanislaus on Friday and then entertain No. 18 Chico State on Saturday in
a clash between CCAA title contenders. The Broncos are now in a second-place
tie with Chico State, one game back of conference leader Cal
State Dominguez Hills. The Broncos are coming off a weekend split. Cal Poly
Pomona dropped a frustrating 100-99 decision to Cal State Bakersfield on Friday
night, but then rebounded for an 81-65 victory over Cal State L.A. on Saturday
night. The Broncos have won eight of their last nine games. 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 fell out of a share of the California Collegiate Athletic
Association lead after a disappointing 100-99 overtime loss to Cal State
Bakersfield on Friday night. The Broncos had a 16-point lead, 58-42, with 16:15 to go, but couldn’t hang on. Cal Poly Pomona
was victimized by poor free-throw shooting – the Broncos missed 14 in the game,
including 12 in the second half and overtime – and turnovers, they committed 25
to just 15 for Cal State Bakersfield. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona) had 32 points and 10 rebounds, while Brandi
Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had a season-high 25 points and a career-high 14
rebounds. Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS) had 15
points and Alexis Wilson (Jr., Wayzata, MN, Iowa State) had a career-high 10 rebounds. The Broncos
lost despite having a 56-34 rebounding edge. After the Broncos missed a chance
at the end of regulation to win the game, Fletcher’s three-point play gave Cal
Poly Pomona a 99-98 lead with 15 seconds to go. Cal State Bakersfield, though,
won the game by hitting a pair of free throws with four seconds left and surviving
a last-second shot by the Broncos under duress that didn’t fall. The Broncos
bounced back on Saturday and beat Cal State L.A., 81-65. Allen had 19 points
and eight rebounds, while Fletcher had 14 points and Perkins had 12 points. The
Broncos forced 29 turnovers and had 18 steals. Cal Poly Pomona won despite
shooting only 37 percent from the floor.
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 29.9 points per game. Allen is shooting 46.9 percent from the
field (209-446) and has knocked down 47 percent of her 3-point attempts (38-81).
She has also made 171 of 202 free-throw tries. She leads the CCAA in 3-point
field-goal percentage (46.9 percent) and free-throw percentage (84.7 percent)
and shares the conference lead in steals (3.33). 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 16-6 all-time against Cal State Stanislaus and beat the Warriors, 86-78, in Turlock
on Jan. 15. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario,
University
of Arizona) had 45 points and tied California
Collegiate Athletic Association records for most free throws made (20) and
attempted (23) in a game. The Broncos won both meetings last season: 90-73 in Turlock
and 85-43 in Kellogg Gym. Cal Poly Pomona is 13-7 all-time against Chico
State and lost to the Wildcats,
68-62, on Jan. 14 in Chico. The 62
points scored by the Broncos in that game are a season low. Allen had 19
points, while Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS) had 14 points. The teams met three
times last season, with Chico State winning in Kellogg Gym, 107-98, Cal Poly
Pomona winning in Chico, 85-65 and the Broncos winning in Seattle in the NCAA
Division II playoffs, 74-70.
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 220-89 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
4 CANDICE ALLEN (G, Sr., Ontario,
University of Arizona)
Last Week: Had 32 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals
against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday; had 19 points, eight rebounds, four
assists and seven steals against Cal State L.A. on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 29.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per
game. Leads the NCAA Division II in scoring. Shooting 46.9 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, free-throw shooting 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: Went scoreless with two rebounds against Cal
State Bakersfield on Friday; went scoreless with one rebound and one assist
against Cal State L.A. on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.2
points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Is tied for 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 seven points, four assists and four steals against Cal
State L.A. on Saturday; had three points, four rebounds and one assist against Cal
State Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.0 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 – 4 vs. Cal
State L.A. (2-12-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
14 NATASHA REED (F, Fr., San
Francisco, Deer
Valley HS)
Last Week: Had four points and six rebounds against Cal State L.A. on
Saturday; had three points and five rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.0 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 a season-high 15 points, one rebound, three assists and
three steals against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday; had 12 points and two
rebounds against Cal State L.A. on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 6.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per
game. Is second on the team in 3-point field goals made (30), tied for second in
assists and fifth in scoring.
Season Highs: Points –
15 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (2-11-05), 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: Knocked down a 3-pointer with one rebound and one assist
against Cal State L.A. on Saturday, DNP-CD against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 3
vs. Cal State L.A. (2-12-05), Grand Canyon (12-14-04); Rebounds – 1 vs. Cal State L.A. (2-12-05), vs. Grand
Canyon (12-14-04),
vs. San Francisco State (12-4-04); Assists
– 1 vs. Cal State L.A. (2-12-05), 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 one point and four rebounds
against Cal State L.A. on Saturday; went scoreless with one rebound against Cal
State Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.9 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 nine points and two rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield
on Friday; had nine points, one rebound, one assist and two steals against Cal
State L.A. on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.4 points, 2.5 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: Tied a career-high with 25 points and set a new
career-high with 14 rebounds against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday; had 14 points,
four rebounds, one assist and five steals against Cal State L.A. on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist per
game. Is second on the team in scoring and third in
rebounding.
Season Highs: Points – 25
vs. Cal State Bakersfield (2-11-05); Rebounds
– 14 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (2-11-05) Assists
– 3 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05), Cal State Monterey Bay (1-29-05).
Career Highs: Points –
25 vs. Cal State
Bakersfield (2-11-05), at Sonoma
State (3-1-03); Rebounds
– 14 vs. Cal State
Bakersfield (2-11-05); Assists
– 4 vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-6-04).
25 RACHEL
GATDULA (G, So., Covina, St. Lucy’s Priory)
Last Week: Went scoreless in limited action against Cal State L.A.
on Saturday; DNP-CD against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.3 points, 0.1
rebounds and 0.1 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).
40 UNIQUE ANDERSON (G, Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS)
Last Week: Had eight points and four rebounds against Cal State
L.A. on Saturday; had seven points, three rebounds and two assists against Cal State
Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 8
vs. Cal State L.A.
(2-12-05), 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 two points, one rebound and one assist against Cal
State L.A. on Saturday; DNP-CD against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.9 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.2 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 4
vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas
(11-20-04); Assists – 1 vs. Cal
State L.A. (2-12-05), 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. Cal State L.A.
(2-12-05), vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04).
54 ALEXIS WILSON (F, Jr., Wayzata,
MN, Wayzata HS)
Last Week: Had five points and a career-high 10 rebounds, one
assist and one blocked shot against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday; had two points
with one assist against Cal State L.A. on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds – 10 vs. Cal State
Bakersfield (2-11-05); Assists
– 4 at San Francisco State
(2-04-05).
Career Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds – 10 vs. Cal State
Bakersfield (2-11-05); Assists
–4 at San Francisco State
(2-04-05).