CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

Bronco Sports News

For Immediate Release

Dec. 31, 2001

Contact: Paul Helms

(909) 869-2812

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEDIA NOTES

2001-02 CPP Record: 8-1. CCAA Record: 4-0

2001-02 National Ranking: 3 (USA Today/ESPN). 2001-02 Regional Ranking: 2

Defending Champs To Face Challenging Trip: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team didn’t get long to enjoy its impressive performance in the CCAA/GNAC Classic. The Broncos will face CCAA rivals UC Davis on Friday, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. in Davis and then face Chico State on Saturday, Jan. 5, also at 6 p.m. in one of the toughest trips of the season. The Broncos are currently in second place in the CCAA with a 4-0 record (Sonoma State is 5-0), while UC Davis and Chico State are both 3-1.

Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona holds a 15-9 edge over UC Davis, including a pair of wins last year. The Broncos have won four straight games over the Aggies. Cal Poly Pomona posted a 94-66 win over UC Davis on Jan. 19 in Kellogg Gym behind a 24-point performance by Aprile Powell (So., Santa Ana, Century HS). The Broncos also won at Davis, 71-63, on Jan. 20 behind 17 points from Anna James (Jr., Orangevale, Casa Robles HS). Cal Poly Pomona holds an 8-4 edge over Chico State and split two contests last year. The Broncos won, 94-81, on Jan. 20 in Kellogg Gym. Lauri McIntosh (Sr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS) had 21 points and eight rebounds in that one. Chico State prevailed, 78-69, on Feb. 23 in Chico. That was the last loss of the season for the Broncos, who went on to win their last eight games and the NCAA Division II championship.

About Last Week: The Broncos posted a pair of impressive victories in the CCAA/GNAC Classic in Kellogg Gym. First, Cal Poly Pomona rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Seattle Pacific, 76-71, in a rematch between the two NCAA Division II West Regional finalists last spring. Burgundie Porter (Sr., San Dimas, San Dimas HS), whose last-second shot lifted the Broncos to a 63-62 win over the Falcons in the regional final, hit a clutch 3-pointer with 1:53 left to give the Broncos the lead for good on Friday. Lauri McIntosh (Sr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS) had a tremendous game, pouring in 30 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Porter finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The following night, McIntosh scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Broncos to an 85-65 win over Western Washington. The Broncos built a 15-point lead in the first half before settling for a 44-31 halftime edge and then had leads as large as 30 points in the second half. Guard Leah Whatley (Sr., Suisan, Tarleton State) scored 12 points and center Aprile Powell (So., Santa Ana, Century HS), in her second game back after undergoing knee surgery on Nov. 27, added 12 points and three rebounds. Porter added eight points and three rebounds. McIntosh was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tourney and Porter joined her on the All-Tournament team.

Cream Of The Crop: The Broncos have dominated the CCAA in the past two-plus seasons. Cal Poly Pomona was 20-2 in conference last year and 19-1 two years ago, which adds up to a 39-3 conference record. The 4-0 start gives the Broncos a 43-3 record in their last 46 conference games. That mark is the best in the conference in both men’s and women’s basketball. The Broncos won the 1999-2000 crown by a whopping five games over UC Davis and were three games better than Cal State Bakersfield last year. Over the past three-plus seasons, since the CCAA was expanded, the Broncos are a conference-best 57-7.

We’re No. 1 (And No. 2 And No. 3): Cal Poly Pomona is the overwhelming choice to win its 18^th CCAA crown. In voting done by the conference coaches, the Broncos collected 11 first-place votes to easily outdistance No. 2 UC Davis. The Broncos were also the No. 1 team in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches’ Poll and are ranked third in the most recent rankings. In the first regional rankings of the season, Cal Poly Pomona is No. 2 behind Sonoma State.

The Thomas Guide: Paul Thomas is in his eighth season as Cal Poly Pomona’s head coach. He has a current record of 148-60 at Cal Poly Pomona. Thomas has been named CCAA Coach of the Year three times and guided the Broncos into the postseason in five straight seasons. The Broncos have also won four CCAA titles during the Thomas years, including two straight, three in the past four years and four in the past five years.

Three Tremendous Years … And Counting: The last three-plus seasons have been especially impressive for the Broncos. After the sweep over Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal Poly Pomona is now 84-13 during that time span, including a remarkable 59-7 mark in the CCAA. Two current senior starters have played in all 95 games over the past three seasons. Lauri McIntosh (Sr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS), and Burgundie Porter (Sr., San Dimas, San Dimas HS) have been a vital part of the Broncos’ success during their time at Cal Poly Pomona.

The Return Of Aprile: The Broncos got a boost last weekend when All-American center Aprile Powell (So., Santa Ana, Century HS) returned after missing six games due to a knee injury. Powell underwent surgery on Nov. 27 to repair a torn lateral meniscus in her right knee. She was able to play in the Broncos’ season-opening 99-93 win over Azusa Pacific on Nov. 24 and contributed 18 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Powell scored only one point in the Broncos’ 76-71 win over Seattle Pacific in 19 minutes of action and then had 12 points, three rebounds and three steals in 16 minutes in the win over Western Washington. Powell completed one of the best freshman seasons in the program’s storied history last year. She was a Kodak All-American, the Most Outstanding Player in both the NCAA West Regional and Elite Eight tournaments and led the Broncos in scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (10.4 per game).

McIntosh Is Marvelous: Lauri McIntosh (Sr., Diamond Bar, Diamond Bar HS), who was a Kodak All-American as a sophomore in 2000, is off to a tremendous start in the 2001-02 season. In her most recent games, McIntosh scored 30 points to lead the Broncos past Seattle Pacific, 76-71, and then added 25 points to lead the Broncos to an 85-65 win over Western Washington. McIntosh was named the Most Outstanding Player of the CCAA/GNAC Classic and also earned CCAA Player of the Week honors. Earlier this season, McIntosh broke the school’s single-game scoring record on Dec. 9 when she poured in 46 points against Cal State Bakersfield. The old record of 44 was set by Niki Bracken in 1988. McIntosh also tied Bracken’s school record for most field goals in a game with 18. The 46 points also tied a CCAA record. McIntosh followed that up in her next game by tying a school and conference record after making all 11 of her field-goal attempts in a 99-66 win over Cal State L.A. McIntosh leads the CCAA in scoring with 26.6 points per game and is also averaging 9.0 rebounds per game. She also leads the conference with a 65.3 percent field-goal percentage. She equaled a career high with 16 rebounds in the season-opening win against Azusa Pacific. McIntosh is quickly moving up the Cal Poly Pomona career scoring list. After starting the season ninth on the list, McIntosh is now fourth with 1,723 points. McIntosh passed Robbie Beyer (1976-80) this past weekend in the CCAA/GNAC Classic to move into fourth. Beyer scored 1,695 points in her Cal Poly Pomona career. Next up is Carol Welch (1979-83), who is third with 1,783 points.

Long-Distance Shooting: Anna James (Jr., Orangevale, Casa Robles HS) is already the most prolific 3-point shooter in Cal Poly Pomona history and she keeps adding to her total. She leads the team this season with 17, which brings her career total to 147. She equaled a season high with four 3-pointers in a 99-66 win against Cal State L.A. James also had four 3-pointers against West Florida and three against North Dakota State. She had two each in games against Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Bakersfield. James has the best single-season total with 71 in 2000-01. She also nailed a clutch 3-pointer to open the overtime period in the Broncos’ 87-80 victory over North Dakota in the NCAA Division II championship game last season. James has been one of the most consistent scorers this season for the Broncos and is second on the team with a 12.9 points per game average.

Who’s New: The Broncos have welcomed five newcomers to the program, including two who played high school basketball locally. Christy Gardner (G, Ontario, Ontario HS) and Britt Sumida (G, Chino Hills, Ayala HS) are incoming freshmen to Cal Poly Pomona. Transfers Kiarra Drummond (F, Los Angeles, Univ. of Texas El Paso), Heather Reeder (G, Wenatche, Wa., University of Portland) and Leah Whatley (G, Suisun, Tarleton State) are also new to the program. A sixth player, Brandi Fletcher (Fr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS), is expected to redshirt this season.

Program History: The Broncos’ fourth national championship in 2000-01 just added to the program’s rich women’s basketball history. Cal Poly Pomona has also reached the national title game seven times, has four national Player of the Year winners (Jackie White, 1983; Vickie Mitchell, 1986; Debra Larsen, 1987 and Cathy Gooden, 1989), four Most Outstanding Players in the NCAA Tournament (Jackie White, 1982; Vickie Mitchell, 1985; Debra Larsen, 1986; Aprile Powell, 2001), 29 All-American awards earned by 19 different players, 17 NCAA postseason appearances, 17 CCAA titles, 9 CCAA Player of the Year awards and 41 postseason victories.

A Little Of This, A Little Of That: Burgundie Porter continues to shine for the Broncos, both offensively and defensively. Porter is third on the team in scoring (11.4 points per game) and leads the Broncos in steals (28, 3.1 per game) and assists (33, 3.7 per game). Porter set a new career high earlier this season against Cal State Dominguez Hills with seven steals. She also had nine points and nine rebounds in the game. Porter, whose last-second shot beat Seattle Pacific in the NCAA Division II West Regional final, hit the go-ahead 3-pointer against the Falcons with 1:53 left in Friday’s rematch. … The Broncos have gotten a big boost from Margot Richards (Sr., Orangevale, Erskine College), who has scored in double figures in three of Cal Poly Pomona’s first four conference games. Richards got the first start of her Cal Poly Pomona career on Dec. 14 against Cal State L.A. and responded with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists. In nine games this season, Cal Poly Pomona has outrebounded its opponents and has a total edge of 414-337. … Lauri McIntosh leads the team with 81 rebounds. … Cal Poly Pomona has forced 228 turnovers in its first nine games and made 115 steals.

Coach’s Corner: “(About last weekend): “I was very excited. We played a very good second half against Seattle Pacific. We limited our turnovers to just four in the second half against Seattle Pacific and had four in the first half against Western Washington. Only having eight turnovers in two halves is a step in the right direction for us. I was also really happy with how the team responded playing Western Washington the second night of a very intense tournament. I thought we played outstanding basketball down the stretch against Seattle Pacific. Burgundie’s 3-pointer got us going and Lauri had a couple huge rebounds at the end. We were also able to make some free throws so we closed out the game real well.”

(About the play of the bench players in the win over Western Washington): “With their team being down to eight players, our bench played a big factor. Our game-plan was to wear them down and I thought we did that. There were times in the first half where I substituted all five players and they weren’t able to do that. We took advantage of our depth.”

(About the significance of the wins over #8 Seattle Pacific and #18 Western Washington): “We beat two nationally ranked teams – that’s a pretty good weekend. Our kids deserve a lot of credit for adapting to two different game-plans and getting two victories. In the short-term, I don’t think these wins help us that much in the regional rankings. We didn’t knock off anybody ranked ahead of us so we got two wins and that was about it. Long-term, I think those two wins are obviously going to solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament.”

(About the upcoming weekend): “This is a huge, huge weekend. You’ve got Sonoma State playing Cal State Stanislaus and Bakersfield. You have us playing Chico and Davis. There are some big (GNAC games). After this weekend, the regional rankings will be reshuffled. For us, playing Davis and Chico on the road, there’s some travel between the two schools so it isn’t like you’re playing in just one spot. Our team is always excited to match up against two very good rivals who get two very good crowds.”

(About the Broncos): “We’re getting to the point now where we need to start finding some cohesiveness and continuity with our rotations. This will be a big weekend for us. With the amount of travel and the lively crowds, I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is what college basketball is and should be.”

-- Head Coach Paul Thomas