17-11
Cal State Fullerton
9-21
Mustangs Advance to Anaheim with 73-70 Win
3/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – It took four consecutive free throws over the final 19 seconds by the Big West Player of the Year, Rachel Clancy, to put away Cal State Fullerton, 73-70, in the first round of the ampm Big West Women's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday. With the win the Mustangs improve to 17-11 while the Titans conclude the season 9-21.
With the win, the No. 1 seeded Mustangs advance to the semifinal game and will play No. 7 seed Pacific at 12 noon on Friday, March 11 in Anaheim at the Honda Center.
Pacific defeated UC Santa Barbara, the No. 2 seed, 49-45.
The Titans cut the Mustang lead to two (69-67) on a layup by Lyndsey Grove with 26 seconds remaining when Clancy went to the line and made her first two with 19 seconds left.
On Fullerton's next possession Grove hit a three from the right side to cut the lead to one (71-70) with nine seconds left.
On the inbounds play Clancy was fouled once again and converted both with eight seconds on the clock and gave the Mustangs a three point advantage..
Fullerton's Lauren Chow attempted a three at the buzzer that fell short.
Cal Poly had built a 13 point lead at the first half, 43-28, shooting 53 percent and hitting six of 10 from long range.
The Mustangs held their biggest lead, 47-30, two minutes into the final period when Desiray Johnston converted a layup.
The Titans cut the lead to nine (58-49) at the 12 minute media timeout, but would go on a 9-2 run over a four minute stretch to set up the final drama.
Clancy led all scorers with 17 points when she made five of 14 shots from the floor and three of six long range. Kayla Griffin added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds while Jonae Ervin came off the bench to score 11 points.
Grove led the Titans with 15 points with Ashley Richie adding 14.
Cal Poly shot 44 percent for the game and made six of 12 from beyond the arc while CSF shot 40 percent from the floor and made five of 16 long range.
The Mustangs held a 43-38 advantage in rebounds, but doubled the Titans in turnovers, 10-5.
