Western Washington defeats Cal State L.A. in opening contest
POMONA¾ The participants were the same and so was the result.
In a rematch of last year’s NCAA Division II West Region final,
defending national champion Cal Poly Pomona prevailed once again over regional
rival Seattle Pacific.
Lauri McIntosh poured in a game-high 30 points and the Broncos
rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to post a 76-71 victory over the
Falcons Friday night in an opening-night game of the CCAA-GNAC Classic in
Kellogg Gym. McIntosh scored 22 of her 30 points in the second half to lead the
Broncos back.
The game was a battle between two of the top-10 ranked teams in
the nation. Cal Poly Pomona is ranked third, while Seattle Pacific is ranked
eighth. The contest was also a rematch of last year’s thriller won by the
Broncos, 63-62, also in Kellogg Gym. That win sent the Broncos to the Elite
Eight and they went on to win the national championship.
Burgundie Porter, whose last-second shot beat the Falcons last
season, scored 12 points, including a key 3-pointer that gave the Broncos the
lead for good at 69-68 with 1:53 to go. Anna James also scored 12 points for
Cal Poly Pomona (7-1), which has won its last five games. James followed
Porter’s basket with a nice inside move to give the Broncos a 71-68 edge. Two
free throws by McIntosh and another by Porter put the game away for the
defending national champions.
Kerie Hughes scored a team-high 14 points for Seattle Pacific
(8-2). Stephanie Urrutia scored 13 points for the Falcons.
The Broncos trailed for much of the game and didn’t take their
first lead until a layup by Leah Whatley put them ahead, 41-39. The Broncos,
who trailed by as many as 11 points early in the second half, then built a
59-51 lead after a 3-pointer by James with 7:12 remaining.
Seattle Pacific, though, responded with an 11-0 run to take a
62-59 lead before the Broncos battled back and finally took the lead for good
on Porter’s 3-pointer.
The Broncos won despite making just 5 of 27 from behind the
3-point arc. Cal Poly Pomona forced 31 turnovers by Seattle Pacific. The
Broncos shot 35 percent for the game, while Seattle Pacific made 41 percent of
its attempts. Cal Poly Pomona shot just 25 percent in the first half.
In the opening game of the tourney, Western Washington hit a
sizzling 70 percent of its shots in the second half and breezed to a 95-52
victory over Cal State L.A. The Vikings were 23 of 33 from the floor in the
second half and outscored the Golden Eagles, 54-22.
The Vikings (8-1), ranked 18th in the country, led
at halftime, 41-30. Megan Quarterman hit a 3-pointer to start the second half
and Western Washington was off and running. The Vikings went on a 25-7 run in
the first eight minutes of the second half.
Stacey Miller scored 18 points to lead six Western Washington
players in double figures. Quarterman added 16 points, Jodi Gerald had 14,
Jodie Kaczor had 13, Jenn McGillivray had 12 and Susan Rodgers had 11 for the
Vikings.
Cal State L.A. (2-6) was led by Jurate Orinaite, who scored 18
points. Darlene Nunez scored 15 points and had a game-high nine rebounds for
the Golden Eagles.