16-10, 12-3BWC
Long Beach State
8-21 6-9BWC
Mustangs Earn First-Ever Share of BWC Regular Season Title
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Cal Poly women's basketball team's strong second half lifted the team to a 61-48 win over Long Beach State in a Big West Conference game Saturday afternoon in San Luis Obispo. With the win the Mustangs earned a share of the Big West Conference regular season championship for the first time since the school joined the conference for the 1996-97 season. Cal Poly improved to 12-3 in conference play and 16-10 overall while the 49ers fall to 6-9 in conference play and 8-21 overall.
The Mustangs can earn the outright championship with a win on Saturday, March 5th, when the team will host second place UC Santa Barbara (11-4 BWC) at 4 pm in Mott Gym.
The Mustang used an 8-0 run to open the second half of tight game (33-32 half) in the first five minutes capped by a layup by Caroline Reeves (14:41).
Cal Poly then used a 20-9 run to give the Mustangs a 20 point advantage (61-41) and put the game out of reach with 1:58 left in the game when Desiray Johnston made a layup off a dish by Rachel Clancy.
In the first half LBSU opened the game with the hot hand and led 7-3 on a three pointer by Melanie Lisnock at 18:11. The Mustangs took the lead for good at 13:50 when Clancy hit a three pointer to give the Mustangs an 8-7 lead.
Cal Poly stretched the lead to 12 (19-7) at 9:15 when Ashlee Burns hit a three pointer from the right side.
LBSU cut the lead to six (23-17) on a three by Ella Clark with 4:44 on the clock and cut the lead to one (33-32) at the buzzer when Courtney Jacob hit a jumper.
The Mustangs were led by Clancy, who was named to the Academic All-America Third Team earlier in the week, with 24 points. Clancy connected on 11 of 20 shots from the floor and made two of eight from beyond the arc.
Abby Bloetscher added 16 points while Burns came off the bench to score 13.
Kayla Griffin tied her career-high with 13 rebounds and dished out eight assists. Johnston added four points with her seven assists as the team totaled 25.
Long Beach State outrebounded the Mustangs 45-37, but committed five more turnovers, 22-17.
Long Beach State was led by Jacob with nine points and 11 rebounds with Sendy Valles added seven points and 10 rebounds.
Cal Poly shot 45 percent from the floor hitting 27 of 60 shots, but made only five of 18 long range (27.8 percent). Long Beach State struggled from the floor making only 16 of 63 shots (25.4 percent) and six of 24 from long range.
Long Beach State went to the line 13 times and made 10 while Cal Poly was just two of four.
Prior to the game with UC Santa Barbara on March 5th, Cal Poly will honor the team's three seniors; Rachel Clancy, Desiray Johnston and Tamara Wells.
