CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2005
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004-05 CPP Record: 18-7. CCAA Record: 13-5
2004-05 National
Ranking: 24
2004-05 Regional
Ranking: 7
Broncos Prepare For Final Two
Home Contests: After splitting a
pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association road games against NCAA
Division II West Region playoff contenders, Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s
basketball team will conclude the regular season with two big home games. The
Broncos will face CCAA co-leader Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday and
CCAA newcomer Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday. Cal Poly Pomona enters this
weekend one game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills and Chico State in the CCAA. The Broncos are tied with Cal
State Bakersfield, which hosts Chico State this weekend. A Cal Poly Pomona win over Cal
State Dominguez Hills and a Cal State Bakersfield win over Chico State could result in a four-way tie for the CCAA
title. This week’s games also have regional implications. Cal State Dominguez
Hills entered last week’s game ranked third and lost a pair of games. Cal Poly
Pomona was seventh and beat No. 9 Cal State San Bernardino and lost to No. 10
UC San Diego. The top eight teams will advance to the NCAA playoffs. 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 lost their second straight game without leading scorer
Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona) to start the weekend, but got Allen back
and posted a big win over Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday. Playing without
Allen on Friday, the Broncos fell to UC San Diego, 82-69. The Broncos opened
the game by scoring the first eight points, but UC San Diego responded with a
20-2 run to take control of the game. The Broncos trailed by just six points,
42-36, at halftime and were within four points, 54-50, with 11:27 to go after a
layup by Ge’Yanni Polk
(So., San Leandro, San Lorenzo HS), but UC San Diego
used a 15-5 run to regain control. Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch
HS) had 15 points and seven rebounds to lead the Broncos, while Unique Anderson
(Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal
Canyon HS) had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals. Allen’s
unexpected return helped the Broncos beat Cal State San Bernardino, 55-51,
Saturday in Coussoulis Arena. The win completed a
season sweep for the Broncos over the Coyotes. Allen, who suffered a shoulder
injury against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday, Feb. 18, did not start, but came
on to score 18 points and grab four rebounds to lead the Broncos. Fletcher had
14 points, while Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS) had
eight points and three rebounds. The Broncos trailed by 10 points, 35-25, with 17:24 to go, but rallied and took their first lead
of the second half on a 3-pointer by Perkins, 43-41. The Coyotes grabbed a
48-45 lead with 5:13 remaining,
but the Broncos took the lead for good on a jumper by Allen with 1:53 left. Fletcher followed with a basket and
Allen added a free throw to make it 54-49. The Coyotes scored a basket with 13
seconds to go, but Anderson made one free throw with 12 seconds left to put the game away.
Allen, Nation’s Leading Scorer Again, Makes Triumphant
Return: Kodak All-American Candice
Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the reigning California Collegiate
Athletic Association Player of the Year, returned after missing 2 ½ games with
an injured shoulder, and helped the Broncos pick up a huge 55-51 win over Cal
State San Bernardino on Saturday. Allen suffered the injury in the first half
of the Broncos’ game against Cal State Stanislaus on Friday, Feb. 18. She
missed games against Chico State and UC San Diego, both losses for the
Broncos. 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 28.7 points per game. Allen is shooting 47.8 percent from the field
(222-464) and has knocked down 49 percent of her 3-point attempts (42-85). She
has also made 174 of 208 free-throw tries. She leads the CCAA in 3-point
field-goal percentage (49.4 percent), free-throw percentage (83.7 percent) and
steals (3.13). 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 47-8 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills, including a thrilling 85-78
double overtime win over the Toros in Carson
on Jan. 26. Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario,
University
of Arizona) had 38 points and 12
rebounds to lead the Broncos. Cal Poly Pomona held a 15-point lead early in the
second half, only to surrender 16 straight points and the lead. A 3-pointer by Shyrah Thomas (Sr., Inglewood,
San Francisco
State) to open the second overtime
put the Broncos ahead for good. Thomas finished with 10 points and six
rebounds, while Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS) had 11 rebounds. Cal Poly Pomona is
1-0 all-time against Cal State
Monterey Bay
and beat the Otters, 85-72, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs
on Jan. 29 in Seaside. Allen had 32
points and 12 rebounds, while Natasha Reed (Fr., San
Francisco, Deer Valley HS) had 16 points and nine
rebounds.
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.
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 222-91 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 18 points, four rebounds and one steal off the bench
in a heroic effort to lift the Broncos to victory against Cal State San
Bernardino on Saturday; DNP-(Shoulder) against UC San Diego on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 28.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per
game. Leads the NCAA Division II in scoring. Shooting 47.8 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: Had two points, one rebound, two assists
and one steal against UC San Diego on Friday; DNP-(Knee) against Cal State San
Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.1
points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Is third 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 six points, two rebounds and one assist against UC
San Diego on Friday; went scoreless in limited action against Cal State San
Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 16
vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-18-05); 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, 10 rebounds, one assist and one blocked
shot against UC San Diego on Friday; had five points, seven rebounds, one
blocked shot and two steals against Cal State San Bernardino on
Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.5 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 vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-18-05), 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 eight points, three rebounds and one assist against Cal
State San Bernardino on Saturday; had eight points, two rebounds, one assist,
one blocked shot and one steal against UC San Diego on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per
game. Is second on the team in 3-point field goals made (37), is 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 – 10 vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-18-05); Assists – 5 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04).
Career Highs: Points –
17 vs. Cal State San Bernardino (12-13-03); Rebounds – 10 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05), 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: Had three points in limited action against UC San Diego on
Friday; went scoreless in limited action against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.0 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 3
at UC San Diego (2-25-05), 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 two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal against
UC San Diego on Friday; went scoreless with one rebound in limited action against
Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Chico State (2-19-05), vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Assists – 1 vs. Cal State Stanislaus
(2-18-05), vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04).
Career Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Chico State (2-19-05), vs. Glenville State (12-11-04); Assists – 1 vs. Cal State Stanislaus
(2-18-05), 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 seven points, one rebound and three steals against UC
San Diego on Friday; had five points, two rebounds and one steal against Cal
State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05);
Rebounds – 6 vs. Cal State
Stanislaus (2-18-05), at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-26-05); Assists – 4 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos
24 BRANDI FLETCHER (F, Jr., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS)
Last Week: Had 15 points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot against
UC San Diego on Friday; had 14 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal
against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 11.3 points, 5.1 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: Had five points, one rebound, and one assist against UC
San Diego on Friday; DNP-CD against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.0 points, 0.5
rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 5
at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Rebounds
– 3 vs. Cal State Stanislaus (2-18-05); Assists
– 1 at UC San Diego (2-25-05), vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-18-05), at Cal
State Bakersfield
(1-08-05).
Career Highs: Points – 5
at UC San Diego (2-25-05), vs. Point Loma Nazarene (11-29-03); Rebounds –3 v. Cal State Stanislaus
(2-18-05); 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 a season-high 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and
four steals against UC San Diego on Friday; had three points, four rebounds and
five assists against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Rebounds
– 6 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 at UC San Diego
(2-25-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
42 GE’YANNI POLK (G, So., San
Leandro, San
Leandro HS)
Last Week: Had a career-high five points, four rebounds, and one
assist against UC San Diego on Friday; DNP-CD against Cal State San Bernardino on
Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 5
at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Rebounds
– 4 at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Assists
– 1 at UC San Diego (2-25-05), vs. Cal
State L.A. (2-12-05), vs. St. Thomas
(11-20-04).
Career Highs: Points – 5
at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Rebounds
– 4 at UC San Diego (2-25-05); Assists –
1 at UC San Diego (2-25-05), 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 two points, five rebounds, two assists and one
blocked shot against UC San Diego on Friday; had two points, three rebounds and
two assists against Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.6 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).