CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
Bronco Sports News
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005
Contact: Paul Helms
(909) 869-2812
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
MEDIA NOTES
2004-05 CPP Record: 11-4. CCAA Record: 6-2
2004-05 National
Ranking: 18
2004-05 Regional
Ranking: 10
Broncos Set For A First-Place Showdown With Toros: After sweeping
a pair of games against California Collegiate Athletic Association opponents
who carried high regional rankings last week, Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s
basketball team will hit the road for the next four games. The road swing
begins in earnest on Wednesday in Carson when the Broncos play for a share of the
CCAA lead against first-place Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Broncos are
currently in a four-way second-place tie, one game behind the Toros. Cal Poly Pomona will then finish the week with a
game at CCAA newcomer Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday. The Broncos will also play at San Francisco State on Friday, Feb. 4 and at Sonoma State on Saturday, Feb. 5 before their next home
game on Friday, Feb. 11 against Cal State Bakersfield. The Broncos are coming
off big home victories over Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego. The
Coyotes were ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II West Region entering last
week’s game, while the Tritons were ranked eighth. The Broncos were rated 10th.
New rankings are due Wednesday. 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 recorded wins they figured they had to have last week,
sweeping past two of the top eight-ranked teams in the NCAA Division II West
Region. Cal Poly Pomona started the weekend with a 70-57 victory over Cal State
San Bernardino Friday night in Kellogg Gym on Pack the Gym Night. Candice Allen
(Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the leading scorer in the NCAA Division
II, poured in 28 points and also had six rebounds and four assists. Khiara Ferguson (So., Gardena, Bishop Montgomery
HS) had a career-high 10 points and six rebounds, while Alexis Wilson (Jr., Wayzata, MN, Iowa State) also had a career-high 10 points to go
along with three rebounds. Cal Poly Pomona led nearly the entire way, leading
by as many as 11 points in the first half before settling for a 33-25 halftime
lead. The Broncos led by double-digit margins for most of the second half
against the Coyotes. Cal State San Bernardino closed to within eight points,
45-37, but the Broncos went on a 14-4 run to take a 59-41 advantage with 8:31 to go and put the game away. The Broncos
shot 56.9 percent against the nation’s No. 2 defense, while limiting Cal State
San Bernardino to just 34 percent shooting. Cal Poly Pomona then defeated UC
San Diego, 83-78, on Saturday to complete the weekend sweep. Allen had 18
points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the Broncos, while Brandi Fletcher
(Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS)
had a season-high 18 points and six rebounds. Natasha Reed (Fr., San Francisco, Deer Valley HS) just missed a
double-double, recording a season-high 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The
Broncos led by one at halftime, 40-39, fell behind by four points, 57-53, with 12:43 to go and then took the lead for good on
back-to-back 3-pointers by Allen and Shanika Perkins
(Jr., Oakland, Oakland HS). The
Broncos eventually boosted their lead to 81-66 with 1:53 left and held off a late UC San Diego rally.
Lauren Stayton (Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State) had eight points and five rebounds, while
Perkins finished with seven points and two assists.
Allen Leading NCAA In Scoring Once Again: Kodak All-American Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario, University of Arizona), the reigning California Collegiate
Athletic Association Player of the Year, is playing sensationally once again in
the 2004-05 season. After leading the nation in scoring last season by
averaging 24.5 points per game, Allen is leading the NCAA Division II in
scoring this year at 28.8 points per game. Allen is shooting 48.0 percent from
the field (145-302) and has knocked down 54 percent of her 3-point attempts
(27-50). She has also made 115 of 138 free-throw tries. She leads the CCAA in
3-point field-goal percentage (54.0 percent) and is second in steals (3.2 per
game). Allen has already been named the Wilson CCAA Women’s Basketball Player
of the Week twice this season. She was the Co-Player of the Week for the week
of Dec. 6-12. Allen set a new Cal Poly Pomona and California Collegiate
Athletic Association record by scoring 50 points to lead the Broncos past No. 9
Glenville State and also had 32 points to lead the Broncos past Northwest
Nazarene. For the week, Allen averaged 41.0 points per game on 54.7 percent
shooting. She also averaged 6.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 steals. She shared
the honor with Chico State guard Kim Abts,
who tied a conference record with 16 assists. Allen was also honored for the
week of Nov. 29 – Dec. 5. Allen scored 30 points in a 104-85 win over Sonoma State and then added 31 points and grabbed six
rebounds in a 93-61 victory over San Francisco State. For the week, Allen averaged 30.5 points
per game on 57.5 percent shooting (23-40). She also averaged 4.5 points, 4.0
steals and 2.5 assists for the week.
Head To Head: Cal Poly Pomona
is 46-8 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills and split a pair of games
against the Toros last season. The Toros defeated the Broncos in Kellogg Gym on Jan. 24.
Brandi Fletcher (Jr., Pomona, Diamond Ranch HS) had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the
Broncos in that one. The Broncos then won the rematch, 77-66, in Carson
on Feb. 13 behind 29 points from Candice Allen (Sr., Ontario,
University
of Arizona) and 10 rebounds from Shanika Perkins (Jr., Oakland,
Oakland HS). This will be the first-ever meeting between Cal Poly Pomona and
conference newcomer Cal State
Monterey Bay.
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 and Lauren Stayton
(Jr., Inglewood, Fresno
State) returns after one year away
from competition.
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, while Allen had 16.
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 215-88 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
2 SAHFIYA
BROWN (F, Fr., Fontana, Etiwanda HS)
Last Week: DNP-CD. Is sidelined for
the year with a knee injury.
2004-05: Averaging 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.0
assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 7 vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 4 vs. Sonoma State (12-3-04). Assists – None.
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
4 CANDICE ALLEN (G, Sr., Ontario,
University of Arizona)
Last Week: Had 28 points, four rebounds and a season-high six
assists against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday; had 18 points, a career-high
15 rebounds, three assists and three steals against UC San Diego on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 28.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per
game. Leads the NCAA Division II in scoring. Shooting 48.0 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, steals and rebounding.
Leads the conference in scoring, 3-point field goal
percentage and steals.
Season Highs: Points –
50 vs. Glenville State
(12-11-04); Rebounds – 15 vs. UC San
Diego (1-22-05);
Assists – 6 vs. Cal
State San
Bernardino (1-21-05).
Career Highs: Points –
50 vs. Glenville State
(12-11-04); Rebounds – 15 vs. UC San
Diego (1-22-05);
Assists – 7 at Cal
State Bakersfield
(1-30-04), vs. Cal
State Stanislaus (2-6-04).
5 BRITT SUMIDA (G, Sr., Chino Hills, Ayala HS)
Last Week: Had three points, one rebound and one
assist against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday; had one point, two rebounds,
and one assist against UC San Diego on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.5
points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Is second on the team in assists
and tied for third on the team in three 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 three points and one assist Cal State San Bernardino
on Friday; had two points, one rebound, and two assists against UC San Diego on
Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 7
vs. San Francisco State
(12-3-04); Rebounds – 5 at Cal
State Stanislaus (1-15-05); Assists – 2 vs. UC San Diego
(1-22-05), vs. Grand
Canyon (12-14-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
14 NATASHA REED (F, Fr., San
Francisco, Deer
Valley HS)
Last Week: Had a season-high 12 points and nine rebounds against UC
San Diego on Saturday; had two points and three rebounds against Cal State San
Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per
game. Is second on the team in rebounding and is fourth in scoring.
Season Highs: Points – 12
vs. UC San Diego (1-22-05); Rebounds – 11 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); 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 seven points, two rebounds, and two assists against
UC San Diego on Saturday; had three points and three rebounds against Cal State
San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per
game. Is second on the team in 3-point field goals made (20),
third in assists and fifth in scoring.
Season Highs: Points –
15 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-8-05); Rebounds
– 7 Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); Assists
– 5 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04).
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. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. Chico
State (1-2-04).
21 SASHA GOLDKORN (G, Fr., Moreno Valley, Canyon Springs HS)
Last Week: Had one point in limited action against UC San Diego on
Saturday, DNP-CD against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.0 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 3
vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04); Rebounds
– 1 vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), vs. San Francisco
State (12-4-04); Assists
– None.
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
22 KHIARA FERGUSON (C, So., Gardena,
Bishop Montgomery HS)
Last Week: Had a career-high 10 points, three rebounds, and three
blocked shots against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday; had six points, three
rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal against UC San Diego on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 3.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
vs. Ca State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds – 7 vs. Glenville
State (12-11-04); Assists
– 1 vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04).
Career Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Glenville State
(12-11-04); Assists – 1 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 two points, five rebounds, one assist, and two
steals against UC San Diego on Saturday; went scoreless with two assists against
Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 1.6 points, 2.3
rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 8
at Cal State L.A.
(1-07-05); Rebounds – 5 vs. UC San
Diego (1-22-05),
at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); Assists
– 2 at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos
24 BRANDI FLETCHER (F, Jr., Pomona,
Diamond Ranch HS)
Last Week: Had a season-high 18 points and six rebounds against UC
San Diego on Saturday; had five points, three rebounds, and one assist against Cal
State San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assist per
game. Is third on the team in scoring and third in
rebounding.
Season Highs: Points – 18
vs. UC San Diego (1-22-05); Rebounds
– 9 at Chico State (1-14-05), at Seattle Pacific (12-30-04); Assists – 2 at Cal State L.A.
(1-07-05), vs. Grand Canyon (12-14-04), Northwest Nazarene (12-10-04), vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04).
Career Highs: Points –
25 at Sonoma State (3-1-03); Rebounds
– 10 at Chico State (2-28-04), 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, So., Covina, St. Lucy’s Priory)
Last Week: Went scoreless in limited action against UC San Diego on
Saturday; DNP-CD against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.7 point and 0.3
assists per game.
Season Highs: Points – 2
at Cal State
Bakersfield (1-08-05); Rebounds
– 0; Assists – 1 at Cal
State Bakersfield
(1-08-05).
Career Highs: Points – 5 vs. Point 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. Point Loma
Nazarene (11-29-03); Assists – 2 vs.
Grand Canyon (3-5-04), at Grand Canyon (1-10-04).
32 LAUREN STAYTON (G, Jr., Inglewood, Fresno State)
Last Week: Had eight points, five rebounds, and one steal against UC
San Diego on Saturday; had four points, one rebound, and one assist against Cal
State San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 10.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per
game. Is second on the team in scoring, fourth in rebounding,
and fourth in assists.
Season Highs: Points –
21 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 7 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04).
Career Highs: Points –
21 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04); Rebounds – 7 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 5 vs. Sonoma
State (12-3-04).
34 PORSCHE’ KIRKSEY (F, Fr., Gardena, Junipero Serra HS)
Last Week: DNP-CD.
2004-05: Averaging 2.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.0 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 5
vs. Western Washington (12-29-04), vs. Sonoma
State (12-4-04); Rebounds
– 7 vs. Sonoma State
(12-3-04); Assists – None.
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
40 UNIQUE ANDERSON (G, Fr., Lake Elsinore, Temescal Canyon HS)
Last Week: Had two points against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday;
had two points against UC San Diego on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 8
at Cal State L.A.
(1-07-05); Rebounds – 6 at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04); Assists – 2 vs. Western
Washington (12-29-04),
vs. San Francisco State
(12-4-04), at Azusa
Pacific (11-19-04).
Career Highs: First year with Broncos.
42 GE’YANNI POLK (G, So., San
Leandro, San
Leandro HS)
Last Week: Went scoreless in limited action against UC San Diego on
Saturday; DNP-CD against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday.
2004-05: Averaging 0.9 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 4
vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas
(11-20-04); Assists – 1 vs. St.
Thomas (11-20-04).
Career Highs: Points – 4
vs. St. Thomas (11-20-04); Rebounds – 2 vs. St. Thomas
(11-20-04), at Cal State
Dominguez Hills (1-24-04); Assists – 1 vs. St.
Thomas (11-20-04).
54 ALEXIS WILSON (F, Jr., Wayzata,
MN, Wayzata HS)
Last Week: Had a career-high 10 points, three rebounds and one
steal against Cal State San Bernardino on Friday; had six points and three
rebounds against UC San Diego on Saturday.
2004-05: Averaging 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.1 assists per
game.
Season Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 4 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs. Grand
Canyon (12-14-04);
Assists – 1 at Azusa Pacific (11-19-04).
Career Highs: Points – 10
vs. Cal State San Bernardino (1-21-05); Rebounds
– 4 at Cal State Bakersfield (1-08-05), at Cal State L.A. (1-07-05), vs.
Grand Canyon (12-14-04), 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).