Cal Poly Concludes Regular Season on the Road at UC Santa Barbara
3/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Opening Tip: The Cal Poly women's basketball team will travel to Central Coast rival, UC Santa Barbara, for the team's final regular season game on Saturday at 2 pm. Cal Poly enters the game with a 10-5 Big West record and a 16-12 record overall. UCSB enters the week with a 3-11 conference record and 8-19 overall. UCSB will visit Hawai'i on Thursday before hosting the Mustangs.
Tournament Forecast: The Mustangs can earn a share of the Big West title with a win this week and a Cal State Northridge loss. However, Cal Poly can only climb as high the #2 seed. The other scenarios: if Cal Poly finishes in a tie with Hawai'i, Cal Poly the higher seed..., if a three-way tie with Cal Poly, UH and UC Davis, Cal Poly earn the second seed of the three with UCD holding the tiebreaker. In a tie between UCD and Cal Poly, UCD holds the advantage...What dose it all mean... Cal Poly could end up with the #2 seed and play at the Honda Center on Friday, #3 or #4 seed and play Wednesday in Long Beach....
Date Session Games Times TV
*Tuesday, March 11 No. 1 Women's First Round (Gms 1-2 at LBSU) 6:00 & 8:30 pm, PDT ESPN3
*Wednesday, March 12 No. 2 Women's Quarterfinals (Gms 3-4 at LBSU) 6:00 & 8:30 pm, PDT ESPN3
**Friday, March 14 No. 4 Women's Semifinals (Gms 9 & 10 at Honda Center) 12 & 2:30 pm, PDT ESPN3
**Saturday, March 15 No. 6 Women's Championship (Gm 13 at Honda Center) 1:00 pm, PDT PRIME TICKET
This Week: The Cal Poly enters the game with UCSB currently in second place in the Big West standings with a 16-12 overall record and 10-5 mark in conference games, while the Gauchos enter the game with an 8-19 overall record and are 3-11 in conference games. UCSB will travel to Hawai'i for a game on Thursday before hosting the Mustangs.
You can catch the Mustangs live on GoPoly.com with Dave Grant calling the play-by-play starting with the pregame show at 1:40 pm. You can also follow on live stats or on video with links on GoPoly.com.
The Mustangs defeated UCSB in the team's first meeting on Jan. 11, 88-70. Senior Molly Schlemer scored a career-high 37 points in leading all players. The post player's points came when she connected on 16 of 20 shots from the floor and five of eight from the line. She also recorded her eighth double-double of the season when she corralled 15 rebounds. Her 37 points surpasses her previous best, set on Dec. 28 when she scored 29 points at UCLA. Junior Ariana Elegado added 30 points, one shy of her career mark, when she made nine of 20 from the floor and five of 12 from long range. Senior Jonae Ervin entrenched her name in the Cal Poly record book at the 10:54 mark of the first half when she dished a ball off to Schlemer for a layup. For the point guard it marked her 391st career assist, breaking a Cal Poly record (390) that has stood since 1982 by Cal Poly great Laura Buehning (1979-82). Junior Taryn Garza had another solid performance with six points and nine rebounds. She was three of four from the floor. All but seven points came from the Cal Poly starting five.
Cal Poly was 30 of 60 from the floor, shooting 50 percent or better from the floor for the second time this season. The Mustangs connected on six of 17 from long range and made 22 of 34 from the line. UCSB shot 34 percent from the floor and made nine of 16 from the floor in the loss. The Gauchos were 13 of 18 from the line.
What's coming up: Below is the Big West Conference Women's Tournament Schedule with sessions one and two at Long Beach State. The top-two seeds of the tournament will receive a bye to the semifinal round at the Honda Center on Friday, March 14.
Depending on Thursday and Saturday's outcome, Cal Poly could end up with a #2, #3, or #4 seed at the tournament. The potential seeding will be re-evaluated after Thursday's games.
Date Session Games Times TV
*Tuesday, March 11 No. 1 Women's First Round (Gms 1-2 at LBSU) 6:00 & 8:30 pm, PDT ESPN3
*Wednesday, March 12 No. 2 Women's Quarterfinals (Gms 3-4 at LBSU) 6:00 & 8:30 pm, PDT ESPN3
**Friday, March 14 No. 4 Women's Semifinals (Gms 9 & 10 at Honda Center) 12 & 2:30 pm, PDT ESPN3
**Saturday, March 15 No. 6 Women's Championship (Gm 13 at Honda Center) 1:00 pm, PDT
A Quick Look at the Teams:
CP UCSB
Record: 16-12 8-19
Conference Record 10-5 3-11
Points PG 77.1 64.5
Opp. Points PG 77.9 70.1
Rebounds PG 44.4 34.3
Shooting % 42.2 40.8
3-Point % 35.0 34.8
FT % 67.7 73.3
Steals PG 5.5 6.4
Assists PG 15.9 12.1
Blocks PG 3.3 1.7
Turnovers PG 14.1 13.7
UC Santa Barbara Notes...: The Gauchos enter the week 8-19 overall and 3-11 in conference games and will play at Hawai'i before hosting the Mustangs. UCSB is led by Nicole Nesbit with 15.6 points per game while Melissa Zornig adds 13.9. Destini Mason is the third Gaucho scoring in double figures at 11.3 points per game. UCSB has only won two of its last 10 games with wins over Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.
A Little About the Mustangs.....:
• The Mustangs earned their first trip to the NCAA Tournament last season after winning the Big West Conference Tournament. Cal Poly posted a 21-11 overall record after falling to Penn State in the first round and a 13-5 mark in Big West Conference games. The Mustangs posted back-to-back Big West Regular Season Championships (2010-11 and 2011-12) with a 12-4 conference record in both seasons.
• The Mustangs won 21 games last season, tying the school record for most wins in a season. Cal Poly posted a Division I best 21 wins during the 2008-09 season when the team went 21-11. Overall in women's basketball history (since 1974-75), the team posted a 21-12 record in the 1981-82 season and 18-11 in 1979-80 when the team was competing at the Division II level. In 2011-12 the team won 17 games, one off pervious year (18) that tied for second-best in school history since making the move to Division I in the 1994-95 season. During the 2009-10 season, head coach Faith Mimnaugh's squad recorded 18 wins...
• The Mustangs have claimed the last four Big West Conference Player of the year awards with Molly Schlemer winning this past season, Kristina Santiago winning the award twice (2011-12 and 2009-10) and Rachel Clancy winning in 2010-11.
• The Mustangs have advanced to the postseason the last three seasons, twice in the WNIT. In 2011 the Mustangs hosted California and lost 74-60 while in 2012, Cal Poly traveled to Seattle and lost to Washington, 90-71.
• Cal Poly head coach Faith Mimnaugh picked up her 200 career win at Cal Poly with the team's 72-63 win at Nevada on Dec. 2, 2012. She is already has the most wins as a coach in program history, amassing 216 wins to this point in 16 seasons.
Season Head Coach
W -L Pct.
1979-86 Marilyn McNeil 98-103 .488
1997- -- Faith Mimnaugh 232-257 .474
1976-79 Mary Stallard 33-41 .446
1986-96 Jill Orrock 103-132 .438
1974-76 Sharon Chatman 7-28 .200
1995-97 Karen Booker 9-44 .170
Bench Mob: After scoring just 13 points against UC Davis, the Mustangs' bench contingent contributed 43 points in the win over UC Irvine. Sophomore Beth Balbierz and junior Kristen Ale each supplied 17 points, hitting a combined seven of 13 from three-point land.
The Numbers Game...61: The Mustangs collected a season-high 61 rebounds against the Anteaters, just two shy of the Big West season high. The conference record for rebounds in a single game is 80, done twice by a pair of former members, San Diego State and Pacific
Balbierz Career-High...: Sophomore Beth Balbierz came off the bench to score a career-high 17 points, 15 points coming in the second half and in the last five minutes, plus overtime...
Freshman Hannah Gilbert...: True freshman Hannah Gilbert was called to duty when senior Molly Schlemer was limited to four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble... Gilbert filled in and responded with seven points, six rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes of play...
Schlemer for Three...: In the closing seconds of regulation, senior Molly Schlemer took a short pass from Ariana Elegado and drilled a three from the top of the key to send the game into overtime and eventual win over UC Irvine... It was her second career three pointer.. her first came in the final minute of play in the LBSU game... She is now two of four in her career from beyond the arc....
Ervin Hits 1,000...: Senior Jonae Ervin scored 16 points, shooting seven of 16 from the floor against UC Davis. With 18:53 remaining in the game, Ervin made a driving layup to give her 1,001 points in her career. She becomes 11th player in school history to score 1,000 or more points in her career and joins teammate Molly Schlemer to reach the mark this year.
Looking for 12.....: With Molly Schlemer and Jonae Ervin reaching the 1,000-point mark in the game's against Hawai'i and UC Davis respectively, Ariana Elegado is looking to become the 12th. She enters the game with UC Santa Barbara having scored 982 points in her career, leaving her 18 points shy of the 1,000 point mark.
13,4,2 and 1......: Those are the double-doubles put up by the Mustangs... Senior Molly Schlemer is second in the conference with 13 double-doubles... Followed by senior Jonae Ervin with four (three in scoring and rebounds, one in scoring and assists) while junior Ariana Elegado has recorded two in points and assists... Maddison Allen has one in scoring and rebounding....
Overtime Wins... : Cal Poly is 3-0 in overtime game this season with wins over Hawai'i, Long Beach State and UC Irvine....
Elegado and double figures...: Junior Ariana Elegado has scored in double figures in 25 games this season including the first 17... She was on a streak of seven straight until she was limited to nine in the game against UC Irvine.
Schlemer and another Career-High...: Senior Molly Schlemer grabbed a career-high in the win on the road over UC Riverside with 19 boards... Eight came at the offensive end of the court.
Taryn Garza by the Numbers...: The junior transfer has come in to her own this season, earning the start in 19 of her 26 games.... She averages 6.6 points per game and 6.5 rebounds... But the remarkable stat is that she has corralled 168 rebounds this season... With 83 coming at the offensive end and 85 defensive rebounds... Overall she has 210 rebounds in her second year with the program, with 102 offensive rebounds and 108 defensive rebounds...
The Big Three: Molly Schlemer leads the team with 17.3 points per game with Ariana Elegado and Jonae Ervin adding 16.5 and 11.7 points per game respectively... Those three account for 61 percent of the team's offence .... The team's next highest scorer is Kristin Ale with 8.4 points per game....
Ofodu Scores 20....: Nwamaka Ofodu scored a career-high 20 points in the loss to Cal State Fullerton when she made eight of 14 shots from the floor and four of five from long range... Her previous career-high, 17 points, came against the Titans when the teams met earlier this season...
Molly Schlemer Becomes 10th Player at Cal Poly to score 1,000: Schlemer needed 16 second half points to reach her total of 20 and 1,001 points in her career. Her field goal came with just 2:34 left in the game and put the Mustangs up five at the time. The post player's points came when she made nine of 16 shots from the floor and a pair of free throws.
Three in a Row...: Cal Poly had two other stretches this season where they lost three in a row... But the last time the team lost three Big West games in a row you have to go back to the 2011-12 season when the team lost to UC Irvine, Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State early in the BWC season...
Nine Home Wins Comes to an End....: With the 62-60 win over Hawai'i, Cal Poly tied its best-ever start to a home season with a 9-0 record... You have to go back the 2003-04 season when the Mustangs opened the season with nine straight home wins.... That all came to an end on Thursday when the Mustangs fell to Cal State Northridge...
Garza on the Boards...: Junior Taryn Garza grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in the win over Hawai'i... Eight came at the defensive end of the court... She added nine against CSUN... The forward has upped her per game averaged to 6.3 boards per game..
142:44 Minutes..... : Senior Jonae Ervin went 142 minutes and 44 seconds without committing a turnover until the 15:24 mark of the first half against UC Davis... Prior to the UCD turnover, her last turnover came at 10:10 of the first half in the game with Cal State Northridge... She played 38 minutes against Long Beach State, 40 minutes against Cal State Fullerton and 27 against UC Riverside.......
Home Sweet Home... :Cal Poly concluded the home season, 10-3 this season in home games (6-9 in road or neutral)... The Mustangs posted a 12-4 home record last season and won nine straight, before falling to Long Beach State in the regular season finale. The Mustangs were 8-1 at home in conference games.
Schlemer Wins Third POW...: Cal Poly senior Molly Schlemer averaged 28.5 points and shot 67.5 percent from the floor to garner Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors, helping Cal Poly stay atop the conference standings with two key road wins. For the senior it was her third honor of the season. The 6-5 post player notched 26 points, nine rebounds and three assists in Cal Poly's 81-72 victory against UC Davis on Thursday. She made 12 of 16 shots from the field, and added a steal and a block. In Saturday's 84-79 triumph at UC Irvine, Schlemer erupted for a game-high 31 points on 15 of 24 shooting, and chipped in seven rebounds. For the week, Schlemer made 27 of her 40 field goal attempts. Schlemer posted her 10th game with 20 or more points and surpassed the 30-point plateau for the second time this season. She leads the Big West in scoring (18.6 ppg) and field goal percentage (.575) while ranking second in rebounding (10.3 rpg). In national rankings, Schlemer is 16th in field goal percentage and 31st in rebounding.
Off the Bench: Sophomore Beth Balbierz came off the bench in the overtime win at Long Beach State to score a career-high 16 points when she hit four of eight from the field and two of four from long range. She also connected on all six attempts from the line....
Just one Short....Again: Junior Ariana Elegado missed her career scoring mark by one point when she hit for 30 points in the game with UC Santa Barbara.... . She was nine of 20 from the field and five of 12 from long range... She did it again against Long Beach State (30 points) when she connected on 11 of 22 from the floor and seven of eight from the line...
Shooting 50 percent...: For the fifth time this season Cal Poly as a team shot 50 percent or better from the floor in the win over UC Irvine (Feb. 1)... it was the third-straight game for the Mustangs... The streak started with UC Riverside (53 percent).. The also shot 50 percent at Hawai'i and against Pepperdine...
107 Record....: In the team's 107-102 overtime win at Long Beach State, Cal Poly broke the school record that has stood since 1989 when the team defeated Cal Lutheran, 106-72.
National Ranking Team:
Assist Turnover Ratio 34th 1.12
Assists Per Game 49th 15.9
Field Goal Percentage 91st 42.2
Scoring Offense 33rd 77.1
Turnovers Per Game 56th 14.1
3-point FG percentage 47th 35.0
Individual National Ranking
Assist Turnover Ratio - Jonae Ervin 4th 3.58
Assists per Game -Ariana Elegado 61st 4.9
- Jonae Ervin 69th 4.8
Double-Doubles - Molly Schlemer 38th 13
Field Goal Percentage - Molly Schlemer 29th 55.2
Rebounds per Game - Molly Schlemer 32nd 10.4
3-point FG per game - Ariana Elegado 51st 2.61
Ervin Named Conference Player of the Week: Cal Poly senior Jonae Ervin overhauled a school record that had stood for three decades, established a career scoring high and led her team to a pair of conference victories in earning Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week accolades. The 5-3 guard played a key role in Cal Poly's league-opening 78-74 overtime victory at Hawai'i. She tallied a career-best 37 points, making 12 of 25 from the floor, two of three from three-point land and 11 of 16 at the foul line. She also yanked down a career-high tying 10 rebounds to secure her second double-double of the season. Ervin's offense helped the Mustangs claw back from as 17-point first half deficit. In a 88-70 home victory over UC Santa Barbara, the Mustang floor general had six points, seven rebounds, two steals and five assists. One of the assists, at the 10:54 mark of the first half, imprinted Ervin's name in the Mustang record book as it was her 391st career assist. That put Ervin at No. 1 all-time, surpassing the previous record of 390 held by former great Laura Buehning (1979-82). For the week, Ervin shot 43.3 (13 of 30) percent from the field and 68.2 (15 of 22) percent on free throws while averaging 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. For the season Ervin is third on the team in scoring (12.3 points) and third in rebounding (5.5 boards per game). She also adds 4.5 assists per game.
Oh What a Night... : Senior Molly Schlemer set a new career mark when she scored 37 points in the win over UCSB... The post player hit 16 of 20 shots from the floor and made five of eight from the line...
Oh What a Night...II : Senior Jonae Ervin scored a career-high 37 points and tied her career-high of 10 rebounds in leading the Mustangs to a 78-74 win over Hawai'i in overtime on Wednesday. Her previous high of 33 points came on Nov. 12, 2011 at Oregon. Ervin connected on 12 of 25 shots from the floor including 11 of 16 from the line. Her 10 rebounds tied a career-high set earlier this season against Akron on Nov. 29.
Molly Schlemer Named Conference Player of the Week: Cal Poly women's basketball player, senior Molly Schlemer, garnered Big West Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors as a career-high scoring performance nearly helped the Mustangs pull off a road upset over UCLA. The 6-5 center dominated the Bruins to the tune of a career-best 29 points and 16 rebounds in a 96-89 loss on Saturday. Schlemer made 14 of 20 shots from the floor. Her 16 boards were one short of her top career mark, while seven of those caroms came on the offensive end. The career-high is an improvement over 28 points set last season against Pacific and tied earlier this year against New Mexico State. In collecting her seventh double-double of the season, Schlemer helped the Mustangs stay within striking distance the entire game, and had her team trailing by just three points with 30 seconds left to play. For the season Schlemer leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 17.8 points and 10.8 boards per game while hitting 55 percent of her shots from the floor.
Career-High.....: Junior Kristen Ale recorded a career-high off the bench when she scored 25 points in the loss to Oregon. Ale hit seven of 14 shots from the floor and three of six from long range... she did hit eight of nine from the line... She back it up with a 16 point game off the bench against UCLA when she made four of 13 from the floor, but made seven of eight from the line.
Most Points Scored...: Oregon scored the most points against Cal Poly (124) since UC Santa Barbara scored 114 on Feb. 20, 1998...
Wins vs. Losses:
Wins Losses
Record: 16-0 0-12
Points PG 80.6 72.3
Opp. Points PG 71.5 86.4
Rebounds PG 46.8 41.1
Shooting % 44.8 38.8
3-Point % 35.6 34.3
FT % 69.3 64.9
Steals PG 5.3 5.8
Assists PG 16.9 14.5
Blocks PG 3.1 3.7
Turnovers PG 14.1 14.2
All Tourney...: Senior Molly Schlemer was named to the 2013 Holiday Beach Classic when she 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the win over Akron... She came back the next night to score 21 points and corral 10 rebounds... For Schlemer it was her fourth and fifth double-double of the season...
Big West Player of the Week II: Cal Poly senior Molly Schlemer (Santa Maria, Calif./Righetti HS) garnered Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week recognition as she averaged 17.3 points and 11.3 rebounds to help the Mustangs win two out of three games in the second week of the season.. Schlemer played a pivotal role in stopping a season-opening three-game slide, tying her career bests of 28 points and 17 rebounds in a 72-64 win against New Mexico State. She knocked down 13 of 21 shots from the field. Schlemer also collected her third double-double in four games. The 6-5 senior contributed 15 points and nine rebounds when she made seven of 14 shots from the floor in Cal Poly's 82-57 blowout win over Nevada. She finished the week with nine points, eight rebounds and a steal as the Mustangs lost, 77-69, at Saint Mary's. Schlemer shot 54.5 (24 of 44) percent from the field for the week.
Jonae Ervin Earns All-Tournament: Senior Jonae Ervin earned all-tournament honors at the Maggie Dixon Classic when she scored 19 and 23 against Duquesne and Harvard respectively. In the two games she shot 45 percent from the floor and made four of seven from long range. She added 4.5 steals and 3.5 assists per game... She averaged 38 minutes a game.
Last Season Numbers....;
Schlemer by the Numbers... : Led the team in both points (13.3) and rebounds (7.1)...Led Cal Poly in scoring 13 times last season...Led the team in rebounding 13 times... Scored in double figures 22 times... Recorded six double-doubles... Scored 20 or more points eight times last season...
Schlemer Named BWC Tournament MVP: Molly Schlemer added to her accolades when she was named the Big West Conference Tournament MVP when she scored 26 points in the semifinal game against UC Santa Barbara and corralled 16 rebounds in the championship game against Pacific.
Molly Schlemer Named Conference Player of the Year: Molly Schlemer was named the Big West Conference 2012-13 Player of the Year and All Big West Conference First Team last year, the fourth straight for the Cal Poly women's basketball program. The native of Santa Maria, averaged 13.3 points and 7.1 rebounds while recording 20 blocked shots in 32 games. She concluded the season 10th in the nation in field goal percentage when she connected on 54.2 percent of her shots from the floor.
Ervin No. 4 in Assist/Turnover Ratio: Jonae Ervin has been one of the nations top assists/turnover player over the past two season... She led the nation in 2011-12 with 2.61 and was fourth last season at 2.61...
Back to Back..: In back to back games, Jonae Ervin dished out 11 assists (UC Santa Barbara and CS Northridge) and the third time this season... Against CS Northridge, Ervin was credited with 11 assists and three turnovers. In the win over UC Santa Barbara one week later, Ervin dished out 11 assists, but this time without a turnover. She was the NCAA leader last season with a ratio of 2.67. The UCSB game was the fourth in her career with 10 or more assists in a game.
Preseason Big West Conference Media Poll
Media Poll Results
1. Cal Poly (17) 177
2. Hawai'i (3) 159
3. Cal State Northridge 121
4. Long Beach State 120
5. UC Santa Barbara 100
6. UC Davis 72
7. Cal State Fullerton 59
8. UC Irvine 54
9. UC Riverside 38
( ) First-place votes
Five Sign NLI's with Cal Poly Women's Basketball:
The five players to sign NLI's include Geralynn and Geraldynn Leaupepe (Camarillo, CA), Zonyia Cormier (Sacramento, CA), Nicole Fausey (Snohomish, WA) and Emily Anderson (Clovis, CA).
Geralynn Leaupepe 5-9 Guard Camarillo, Calif./Camarillo HS
Helped lead Camarillo High School as a junior to a 20-10 record when she averaged 16.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game as the team captured the Pacific View League title. She was named to the CIF All-Southern Section Division 2A Team last season while earning First-Team All-Ventura County and first-team all-league. She was named the Pacific View Co-Player of the Year and team Co-MVP.
Geraldynn Leaupepe 5-9 Guard Camarillo, Calif./Camarillo HS
Helped lead Camarillo High School to a 20-10 record as a junior. She averaged 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game last season. She set the program's single season record with 311 rebounds. She was named CIF All-Southern Section Division 2A Team and Ventura County Player of the Year. She was the Pacific View Co-Player of the Year and the team's Co-MVP with her sister. She was also named first-team all-county and first-team all-league. The twins played for club basketball for Cal Sparks. Both Leaupepe sisters have also competed in track and field for the Scorpions. At the 2012 CIF Southern Section Masters Meet, Geralynn was 10th in the shot put (38 feet, 11 inches), while Geraldynn finished in 12th place in the discus (122-6).
Zonyia Cormier 5-6 Point Guard Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento HS
Led Sacramento High School to a 27-5 record last season and the CIF Division II Section Championship. She averaged 7.9 points, 2.6 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 steals as a junior. She was named Sacramento All-Metro Honorable Mention. Zonyia played club basketball for Cal Sparks NorCal.
Nicole Fausey 6-4 Center Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS
Led Glacier Peak High School to an 18-6 record and the Wesco 3A South Championship. Finished seventh in the state playoffs when she averaged 9.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Named All-Wesco 3A First-Team and holds the record at Glacier Peak HS record for blocks in a season. Selected to play in the 2013 Washington/North Idaho All-State Game. She is a member of both the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society. Nicole played club for Way to Win.
Emily Anderson 6-0 Forward Clovis, Calif./Clovis West HS
Led Clovis West High School to a 23-6 record as a junior, winning the league championship and CIF Central Section Championship. She averaged 15.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game while converting 83 percent of her shots at the line. She was named Second-Team All-State Division I, Frist-Team All-Section and was the TRAC League Player of the Year. She was also named to the Fresno Bee All-Area First-Team. She played club for Cal Swish.
