CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2003-04 CPP Record: 17-6. 2003-04 CCAA Record:
13-5
2003-04 Regional
Ranking: 3
Broncos To Embark On Final
Regular-Season Trip: Cal Poly Pomona’s
women’s basketball program, which has won two NCAA Division II championships in
the past three years, will play its final two road games of the 2004 California
Collegiate Athletic Association season this weekend against two of the top
teams in the conference. The Broncos will play at UC Davis on Friday night and
at red-hot Chico State on Saturday night. Cal Poly Pomona is
currently second in the CCAA, two games behind first-place Cal State
Bakersfield. Chico State is in third place, one game behind the
Broncos, while Grand
Canyon and Sonoma State are tied for fourth place, one game behind Chico State. Cal Poly Pomona entered last weekend ranked
third in the NCAA Division II West Region rankings, while Chico State was sixth, although the Wildcats should move
up in after winning their eighth and ninth games in a row last weekend while
No. 4 Western Washington and No. 5 Grand Canyon lost games. Cal Poly
Pomona is tied with North Dakota State
for most national championships won in Division II (5) and for most postseason
wins (46) in Division II. The Broncos have three starters returning from last
year’s team, including second-team All-CCAA forward Brandi Fletcher (So.,
Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS), four-year standout Marisa Lattin
(Sr., Oceanside, El Camino HS) and second-year guard Tami Swanson-Cades (Sr.,
Nevada City, Sierra College). Seven players in all return from last year’s
squad.
About Last Week:
Cal Poly Pomona avenged an early-season loss to San Francisco State with a
lopsided win on Friday and then outlasted regionally-ranked Sonoma State on
Saturday to record its first sweep of California Collegiate Athletic
Association games at home this season. The Broncos rolled past San Francisco State,
91-60, on Friday in Kellogg Gym and evened the season series. The Gators had
posted a 59-57 win over the Broncos in San Francisco
on Jan. 17. This time, the Broncos used a 26-12 run in the final nine minutes
of the first half to take a 48-32 halftime lead. Cal Poly Pomona kept rolling
in the second half and held double-digit leads the rest of the way. The Gators
got the deficit down to 14 points, 55-41, but the Broncos responded with a
25-12 run to boost the advantage back to 29 points, 80-51. Candice Allen (Sr.,
Ontario, University of Arizona), the leading scorer in the NCAA Division II,
poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Broncos, while Keila
Beachem (Sr., Chicago, Ill., University of Kansas)
added 21 points and 13 rebounds. Brandi Fletcher (So., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS) and Marisa Lattin
(Sr., Oceanside, El Camino HS) had
10 points each. Tami Swanson-Cades (Sr., Nevada
City, Sierra College)
had six points, five assists and six steals. The Broncos faced a much tougher
challenge on Saturday night, but prevailed over Sonoma State, 84-77, in
overtime in a battle between two of the top teams in the NCAA Division II West
Region. The Broncos trailed by nine points early, battled back to tie the game
at 26-26, yet trailed at halftime, 31-26. After Sonoma State scored the first
basket of the second half to take a seven-point lead, the Broncos went on a
24-7 run to take a 50-40 lead. Sonoma
State responded with a 19-4 run to
take a 59-54 lead with 8:13
remaining. The Broncos then took a 72-70 lead with 39 seconds left on a pair of
Allen free throws, but Sonoma State scored with 15 seconds left to send the
game into overtime. In the overtime, a jumper by Allen and inside basket by Beachem gave the Broncos a 78-74 lead. After the Seawolves cut the deficit to two points, an offensive
rebound and basket by Beachem and two free throws by Lattin gave the Broncos a six-point edge in the final
minute. Allen finished with 30 points, 24 of them coming in the second half and
overtime. Beachem added 22 points and six rebounds,
while Swanson-Cades had eight points, six rebounds and four assists and Jaida Williams (Sr., Opalocka, Fla.,
Barry University)
had eight points and nine rebounds.
Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona
is 17-12 all-time against UC Davis, including a 109-92 victory on Jan. 3 in
Kellogg Gym. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario,
University
of Arizona) scored a season-high 40
points and the Broncos scored their most points this season. Brandi Fletcher
(So., Pomona, Diamond
Ranch HS) had a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Aggies got 25 points from Ellen Porshneva.
The Broncos and Aggies split games last season with
each team winning on its home court. The Aggies won
in Davis, 86-78, while Cal Poly
Pomona got a career-high 38 points and 13 rebounds from Marisa Lattin (Sr., Oceanside,
El Camino HS) to win in Kellogg Gym, 96-87. Cal Poly
Pomona is 11-6 all-time against Chico
State, but lost to the Wildcats,
107-98, in Kellogg Gym on Jan. 2. Lattin had a
season-high 36 points and Allen had 27, but Marisa White had 25 points and all
five Wildcat starters scored in double figures. The teams split games last
season with each team winning on the other’s home court. The Broncos won in Chico,
66-62, behind 22 points and seven rebounds from Alicia Hernandez, while the
Wildcats won in Kellogg Gym, 93-73. Fletcher had 20 points to lead the Broncos.
Let Us Introduce Ourselves: Cal Poly Pomona has several
new players on its roster, including a pair of student-athletes from Division I
programs. The Broncos welcome local high-school star Candice Allen (G, Sr.,
Ontario, University of Arizona), who played at Ayala High School and Keila Beachem (F, Sr., Chicago,
Ill., University of Kansas), who started nine games for the Jayhawks
last season. Khiara Ferguson (Fr., Gardena,
Bishop Montgomery HS) is a top freshman newcomer.
Pomona Is Title Town: Cal Poly Pomona basketball
teams have won regional basketball championships three straight seasons. The
Bronco women won regional titles in 2001 and 2002 on their way to NCAA Division
II championships. The Bronco men captured the regional title in 2003 on their
way to the Elite Eight. No other basketball program in the West Region can
match that success.
In The Conference:
Several Broncos are among the California Collegiate Athletic Association
statistical leaders. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona) leads
the conference and the nation in scoring, is second in steals, second in
field-goal percentage, 12th in rebounding and 11th in
free-throw shooting percentage. Keila Beachem (Sr., Chicago, Ill.,
University of
Kansas) is 15th in scoring,
seventh in rebounding, 14th in steals and 14th in field-goal
percentage and 14th in blocks. Brandi Fletcher (So., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS) is 30th in scoring, 19th
in rebounding, eighth in free-throw percentage and 17th in blocks. Shanika Perkins (So., Oakland,
Oakland HS) is sixth in steals, Tami Swanson-Cades
(Sr., Nevada City, Sierra
College) is 15th in assists and 16th in steals and Marisa
Lattin (Sr., Oceanside,
El Camino HS) is 15th in free-throw shooting percentage. As a team,
Cal Poly Pomona is first in scoring offense, first in rebounding and eighth in
scoring defense.
Broncos Picked To
Finish Second In CCAA: Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball program, which
has won a record 18 California Collegiate Athletic Association championships,
has been picked to finish second in the conference this season in voting by the
conference coaches. Chico State,
which finished second last season and has three starters returning, has been
tabbed as the conference favorite. Defending conference champion Cal State
Bakersfield was picked third and Cal State Stanislaus is fourth.
Where We Left Off: The Broncos lost its final two road
games at Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Bakersfield and finished the
2002-03 season with a 13-14 overall record. It was only the second time in the
program’s history that Cal Poly Pomona had a non-winning record. The Broncos
were unsuccessful in their bid for a first-ever third consecutive NCAA Division
II championship. When Cal Poly Pomona won national titles in 2000-01 and
2001-02, it marked the second time in the program’s history that the Broncos
had won back-to-back championships. Previously, Cal Poly Pomona had won
consecutive titles in 1985 and 1986. The Broncos also saw their three-year
reign atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association come to an end with a
sixth-place finish. The Broncos, who have won 18 CCAA titles, had won five
titles in the previous six years.
The Thomas Guide: Paul Thomas is in his 10th 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 198-83 at Cal Poly Pomona and has guided the Broncos into the postseason
in six out of the past seven seasons. The Broncos have also won five CCAA
titles during the Thomas years, including three in the past four seasons.
How About Those Rings:
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more star-studded coaching staff in the NCAA
Division II than the one at Cal Poly Pomona. 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. Assistant coach Heather Jacobsen has a pair
of national championship rings she earned while part of the coaching staff in
2001 and 2002. Jacobsen also played for the Broncos and was a three-sport standout
in high school, competing in basketball, volleyball and track and field.
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’ back-to-back national
championships in 2001 and 2002 have just added to the program’s rich women’s
basketball history. The Broncos are tied with North
Dakota State for
the most postseason victories (46) in NCAA Division II and most national
championships (5). Their 18 NCAA
postseason appearances are second overall to Bentley and the .780 postseason
winning percentage is second to North
Dakota State’s
.804. 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), 35 All-America
awards earned by 20 different players, 18 CCAA titles and 9 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 30 points, seven rebounds and four
assists against Sonoma State on Saturday; had 27 points, four rebounds
and three assists against San Francisco State on Friday.
2003-04: Averaging 25.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7
assists per game. Leads the team in scoring and steals and is second in
rebounding and assists. Leads the NCAA Division II in
scoring.
Season Highs: Points – 40 vs. UC Davis (1-3-04); Rebounds – 11 vs. Azusa Pacific (11-22-03); Assists – 7 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-30-04), vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
5 BRITT SUMIDA (G, Jr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS)
Last Week: Had six points, one rebound and season-high
three assists against San Francisco State on Friday; had three points against Sonoma State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 2.5
points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Hit go-ahead 3-pointer in second
half in win over Azusa Pacific and hit a career-high three 3-pointers in win
over Pt. Loma Nazarene.
Season Highs: Points
– 11 vs. Pt. Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds – 2 vs. Western Washington
(12-19-03), vs. Pt. Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Assists – 3 vs. San
Francisco State (2-20-04).
Career Highs: Points
– 11 vs. Pt. Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds – 3 vs. UC San Diego (2-21-03), vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-6-04); Assists – 3 vs. San Francisco State
(2-20-04), vs. UC San Diego (2-21-03), at UC San Diego (1-18-03).
14 LEANNE JENKINS (G, Fr., Selma,
Selma HS)
Last Week: DNP-CD. Will miss the remainder of the
season with a knee injury.
2003-04: Averaging 5.5 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 assist per game.
Season Highs: Points – 6
vs. Abilene Christian (11-21-03); Rebounds – 2 vs. Abilene
Christian (11-21-03); Assists – 1 vs. Azusa
Pacific (11-22-03), vs. Abilene
Christian (11-21-03).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
21 JAIDA WILLIAMS (F, Sr. Opalocka, Fla.,
Barry University)
Last Week: Had eight points and season-high nine rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday; had four points
and six rebounds against San Francisco
State on Friday.
2003-04: Averaging 5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per
game. Has started eight times.
Season Highs: Points – 16
at Cal State
Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 9 vs. Sonoma
State (2-21-04); Assists
– 3 vs. Abilene Christian (11-21-03).
Career Highs: Points – 16
at Cal State
Stanislaus (1-31-04); Rebounds – 9 vs. Sonoma
State (2-21-04), at Azusa
Pacific (11-23-02); Assists – 3 vs. Abilene
Christian (11-21-03).
22 KHIARA FERGUSON (C, Fr., Gardena,
Bishop Montgomery HS)
Last Week: Had two points and one rebound against San
Francisco State on
Friday; DNP-CD on Saturday against Sonoma
State.
2003-04: Averaging 1.1 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists per
game. Made her Cal Poly Pomona debut against Abilene
Christian on Nov. 22.
Season Highs: Points – 6
vs. Chico State
(1-2-04); Rebounds – 5 vs. Seattle
Pacific (12-20-03); Assists – 1 at UC San
Diego (1-9-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
23 KEILA BEACHEM (F, Sr., Chicago,
Ill., University
of Kansas)
Last Week: Had 21 points and 13 rebounds against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had 22 points and six rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per
game. Is second on the team in scoring and leads the team in rebounding and
blocked shots.
Season Highs: Points –
26 at UC San Diego (1-9-04); Rebounds – 15 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-30-04); Assists
– 4 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (2-13-04)
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
24 BRANDI FLETCHER (F, So., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS)
Last Week: Had 10 points and six rebounds against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had two points and three rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 10.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per
game. Is third on the team in scoring and rebounding, and leads the team in
free-throw percentage with 83 makes in 102 tries (.814).
Season Highs: Points – 24
vs. UC Davis (1-3-04); Rebounds – 10 vs. Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-24-04), vs.UC Davis (1-3-04); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04).
Career Highs: Points –
25 at Sonoma State (3-1-03); Rebounds
– 10 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-24-04), vs. UC Davis (1-3-04), at Cal
State L.A. (2-7-03); Assists – 4 vs.
Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04).
25 RACHEL GATDULA (G, Fr., Covina,
St. Lucy’s Priory HS)
Last Week: Went scoreless in five minutes against Sonoma
State on Saturday; went scoreless
with one assist in four minutes against San Francisco
State on Friday.
2003-04: Averaging 1.2 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists per
game. Made her Cal Poly Pomona debut against Pt. Loma
Nazarene (11-29-03).
Season Highs: Points – 5
vs. Pt. 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. Pt. Loma Nazarene (11-29-03). Assists – 2 at Grand Canyon (1-10-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos
32 TAMI SWANSON-CADES (G, Sr., Nevada
City, Sierra
College)
Last Week: Had eight points, six rebounds and four assists on
Saturday against Sonoma State;
had six points, five assists and six steals against San
Francisco State on
Friday.
2003-04: Averaging 5.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per
game. Leads the team in assists and is third in steals.
Season Highs: Points –
13 vs. Cal State L.A. (1-23-04); Rebounds
– 9 vs. Cal State L.A. (1-23-04); Assists
– 6 at San Francisco State (1-17-04), at Sonoma State (1-16-04), vs. UC Davis (1-3-04), vs. Seattle
Pacific (12-20-03).
Career Highs: Points –
18 vs. Westminster College
(12-21-02); Rebounds – 10 vs. Cal
State Bakersfield
(1-31-03); Assists – 8 vs. Chico
State (2-15-03).
34 MARISA LATTIN (F, Sr., Oceanside,
El Camino HS)
Last Week: Had 10 points and five rebounds against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had four points and three rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 8.7 points,
4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Is fourth on the team
in scoring and rebounding.
Season Highs: Points
– 36 vs. Chico State
(1-2-04); Rebounds – 10
vs. Western Washington (12-19-03); Assists – 3 vs. UC Davis (1-3-04).
Career Highs: Points
– 38 vs. UC Davis (2-14-03); Rebounds – 13 vs. UC Davis (2-14-03); Assists
– 3 vs. UC Davis (1-3-04), vs. UC San Diego (2-21-03), at Cal State San
Bernardino (2-14-02), at San Francisco State (3-02-02) vs. Cal
State L.A. (1-28-00).
40 SHANIKA
PERKINS (G, So., Oakland, Oakland
HS)
Last Week: Had three points and hit her only 3-point attempt
against Sonoma State
on Saturday; went scoreless with four rebounds and one assist against San
Francisco State on
Friday.
2003-04: Averaging 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per
game. Is fifth on the team in scoring, third in assists and second
in steals.
Season Highs: Points – 17
vs. Cal State
San Bernardino (12-13-03); Rebounds – 10 at Cal State Dominguez Hills (2-13-04); Assists
– 5 vs. Chico State
(1-2-04).
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. Chico State
(1-2-04).
42 GE’YANNI POLK (G, Fr., San
Leandro, San
Lorenzo HS)
Last Week: Went scoreless in four minutes against San
Francisco State on
Friday; went scoreless in two minutes against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 0.4 points, 0.4 rebounds, 0.0 assists per game. Made her Cal Poly Pomona debut against Azusa Pacific on Nov. 22.
Season Highs: Points – 3
vs. Cal State L.A.
(1-23-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. Cal State Dominguez
Hills (1-24-04), vs. Cal
State L.A. (1-23-04).
Career Highs: First year with Bronco.
54 ALEXIS WILSON (F, So., Wayzata, MN,
Wayzata HS)
Last Week: Had five points and four rebounds against San
Francisco State on
Friday; had four points and three rebounds against Sonoma
State on Saturday.
2003-04: Averaging 2.1 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 6
vs. Chico State
(1-2-04), vs. Pt. Loma
Nazarene (11-29-03), vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-6-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. San Francisco State (2-20-04), at Sonoma State
(1-16-04); Assists – 3 at UC San
Diego (1-9-04).
Career Highs: Points – 6
vs. Chico State
(1-2-04), vs. Pt. Loma
Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds – 4 vs.
San Francisco State (2-20-04), at Sonoma State (1-16-04), at Western Washington
(12-28-02); Assists – 3 at UC San
Diego (1-9-04).
2003-04 CCAA STANDINGS (2-24-04)
CCAA Overall
W L Pct. W L Pct.
CS Bakersfield 15 3 .833 19 4 .826
Cal Poly Pomona 13 5 .722 17 6 .739
Chico State 12 6 .667 16 7 .696
Grand
Canyon 11 7 .611 14 9 .609
Sonoma State 11 7 .611 14 9 .609
UC Davis 10 8 .556 15 9 .625
UC San Diego 8 10 .444 12 11 .522
CS Dominguez Hills 7 11 .389 11 12 .478
San
Francisco
State 7 11 .389 11 12 .478
CS San Bernardino 5 13 .278 8 15 .348
Cal State L.A. 5 13 .278 6 17 .261
Cal State Stanislaus 4 14 .222 7 16 .304