CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Monday, Jan. 14, 2002

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

 

 

Schedule of upcoming events:

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL:

vs. San Francisco State on Friday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m.

vs. Somona State on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m.

                                                                       

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL:

vs. San Francisco State on Friday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m.

vs. Sonoma State on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.

 

M/W TENNIS:

at Cal State L.A. Tournament, Fri-Sun, Jan. 18-20, all day

 

FOLLOW THE BRONCOS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

HTTP://WWW.CSUPOMONA.EDU/~ATHLETIC

 

 

MEN’S BASKETBALL: BRONCOS REBOUND IN A BIG WAY

2001 Overall Record: 9-4, CCAA Record: 6-2

2001 West Regional Ranking: 10 (1-9-02)

 

BRONCOS BOUNCE BACK FROM UPSET LOSS IN LA JOLLA: Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team rebounded from an upset loss to UC San Diego on Friday with an impressive 93-66 win over Grand Canyon Saturday night in Phoenix, Ariz. The Broncos blitzed the Antelopes with a 57-point second half while recording their most lopsided conference victory this season. The win was also significant because the Broncos had not won at Grand Canyon since Feb. 12, 1998. Lucas LeCour (Sr., Las Vegas, Las Vegas HS) led the way with a season-high 24 points. LeCour also contributed eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Jeff Bonds (Fr., Compton, Mayfair HS) added 13 points and nine rebounds in just his second start for the Broncos, while Raymond Hubbard (Sr., Chicago, Cuyamaca CC) had 11 points and four rebounds. T.J. Williams (Sr., Dana Point, Santa Margarita HS) had nine points and made a pair of 3-pointers, while David Sybesma recorded nine points and a season-high seven rebounds. The Broncos shot 48 percent from the field in the game and also made an impressive six of their 10 attempts behind the 3-point line. Cal Poly Pomona also owned a 47-36 edge in rebounding. The Broncos held a 36-26 lead at halftime and then broke the game open in the second half. The victory was a big one for the Broncos because it came on the heels of a 70-64 loss to UC San Diego on Friday night. The Broncos fell behind by as many as 13 points midway through the first half before making a late run that cut the deficit to 36-34 by halftime. The Broncos finally took their first lead of the game, 54-52, on a basket by LeCour midway through the second half, but UC San Diego went on a 7-0 run and never trailed again. Cal Poly Pomona endured a seven-minute scoreless drought, but was still able to trim the deficit to three points after a three-point play by Rafael Zielonka (Sr., Anaheim Hills, Servite HS) with 1:11 left. UC San Diego responded with a 3-pointer on its next possession and put the game out of reach. The loss marked the second consecutive year the Broncos have lost in La Jolla. Bonds, in his first career start for the Broncos, led with 15 points, while Zielonka had nine points and nine rebounds and Steve Lambert (Sr., Covina, Charter Oak HS) had eight points and nine rebounds. LeCour, saddled with three quick fouls in the first 2:36 of the game, scored nine points in just 23 minutes.

 

BRONCOS PREPARE FOR SOME HOME GAMES (FINALLY!): Cal Poly Pomona’s men’s basketball team will host San Francisco State and Sonoma State this weekend in Kellogg Gym. The Broncos just completed a stretch of nine road games in their first 13 contests, but will play their next three games at home. The Broncos will host the Gators on Friday night at 8 p.m. and then entertain Sonoma State on Saturday night at 8 p.m. Cal Poly Pomona is currently in third place in the CCAA, one-half game behind Cal State Bakersfield and two games behind unbeaten Cal State San Bernardino.

 

BRONCOS SLIP TO TENTH IN REGIONAL POLL: Cal Poly Pomona, which was sixth in the Dec. 19 NCAA Division II West Region poll, slipped to 10th in last week’s rankings. Cal State San Bernardino was first and Cal State Bakersfield was fifth. The top six teams in the region advance to the postseason.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: BRONCOS STRUGGLE TO PAIR OF VICTORIES

2001 Overall Record: 11-2, CCAA Record: 7-1.

2001 National Ranking: 2 (USA TODAY/ESPN/WBCA). 2001 Regional Ranking: 1

 

BRONCOS WIN PAIR OF NAIL-BITERS: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team narrowly avoided the upset bug last weekend and posted slim victories over Grand Canyon and UC San Diego. Playing without the NCAA Division II’s leading scorer, Lauri McIntosh (Sr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS), who was sidelined with an undiagnosed stomach ailment, the Broncos edged UC San Diego, 76-73, on Friday night and then scored a season low 57 points in a 57-56 victory over Grand Canyon on Saturday night. Cal Poly Pomona trailed by as many as 15 points in the win over UC San Diego and faced a 41-27 halftime deficit. The Broncos opened the second half with an 18-4 run to tie the game at 45-45 and eventually took their first lead of the game on a basket by Anna James (Jr., Orangevale, Casa Roble HS). James’ basket started another run that ended with a three-point play by Burgundie Porter (Sr., San Dimas, San Dimas HS), giving the Broncos a 63-54 lead with 7:26 left. UC San Diego took a 70-67 lead, but a pair of free throws by Salma Rasheed (So., Walnut, Walnut HS) and another by James tied the score again. Single free throws by Aprile Powell (So., Santa Ana, Century HS) and James lifted the Broncos to a 72-70 advantage and James made two more free throws with 14 seconds left to push the lead to four points. A UC San Diego 3-pointer cut the lead down to one point, but James hit two free throws with three seconds left to ice it. Rasheed, in her first career start for the Broncos, led the way with 15 points and six rebounds. Powell had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Leah Whatley (Sr., Suisun, Tarleton State) had 13 points and four steals and James finished with 11 points. The Broncos had another close call the following night, surviving a last-chance possession by Grand Canyon and holding on to a 57-56 win. The 57 points were a season low – by a lot because the previous low was 70 points – and the Broncos committed 28 turnovers. The Broncos committed 17 of those turnovers in the first half and led by just four, 32-28, at halftime despite shooting 66.7 percent. Cal Poly Pomona opened up its biggest lead, 55-44, after a three-point play by James with 5:53 to go. The Broncos then went the rest of the way without scoring another basket. Single free throws by Powell and Whatley were the only Cal Poly Pomona points while Grand Canyon made its push to get back into the game. Powell, in her first start of the season for the Broncos, had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way. James had 13 points, while Rasheed had eight points. Porter, playing despite a knee injury suffered in the game against UC San Diego, had six points and three steals.

 

BRONCOS REMAIN FIRST IN THE REGION, MOVE TO SECOND IN NATION: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team remained in first place in the NCAA Division II West Region in the Jan. 9 rankings. The Broncos also moved up to second in the NCAA Division II national rankings.

 

MCINTOSH CONTINUES TO LEAD NATION IN SCORING: Lauri McIntosh, a Player of the Year candidate, is currently the leading scorer in the NCAA Division II. McIntosh, who missed this past weekend’s games, is averaging 25.4 points per game and leads the nation’s second-leading scorer by 1.2 points per game. McIntosh also leads the CCAA in field-goal percentage, making 64.4 percent of her shots.

 

BRONCOS READY FOR SOME HOME GAMES: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team, which is 46-4 in its last 50 CCAA games, will get a chance to play in front of a home crowd for the first time since Dec. 29, 2001. The Broncos will host San Francisco State on Friday night in Kellogg Gym at 6 p.m. The Broncos will then host Sonoma State on Saturday night at 6 p.m. Cal Poly Pomona (11-2, 7-1) is one-half game behind Cal State Bakersfield (12-2, 8-1) in the CCAA standings, while Sonoma State (11-3, 7-2) is one-half game behind the Broncos.

 

MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TENNIS: BRONCOS READY TO OPEN SEASON

 

Men's Overall Record: 0-0

Men's Ranking: No. 23 in the nation; 5th in the West Region (ITA)

Women's Overall Record: 0-0, CCAA Record: 0-0

Women’s Ranking: 9th in the West Region (ITA)

 

BRONCOS TO COMPETE IN CAL STATE L.A. TOURNEY: Cal Poly Pomona will open its men’s and women’s tennis seasons this weekend in the Cal State L.A. Tournament that runs from Jan. 18 to Jan. 20. Broncos’ head coach Sandy Kriezel is optimistic about both her squads this season. The experienced men’s team, which returns seven players from last year, is ranked fifth in the region and 23rd nationally. JR. Villaroman (Sr., Anaheim, Troy HS) is ranked 11th in the region, while Ryan Terry (Jr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS) is ninth. The doubles team of Sullivan and newcomer Seamus Sullivan (Jr., Palos Verdes, Peninsula HS) is ranked fifth in the region. The women’s team, meanwhile, has some talented newcomers expected to contribute in a big way. Anne Claire Ortiz-Luis (Fr., Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Cucamonga HS), Dehlia Feliz (Fr., San Gabriel, San Gabriel HS) and Michelle Hammond (Jr., Tulare, College of the Sequoias) are all expected to bolster the Broncos’ lineup. Cal Poly Pomona’s women are ranked ninth in the region.