Saturday, February 10
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
2 P.M.
13-9,9-3Big West
84
vs
76
Long Beach State
8-14,3-9Big West
1
2
3
4
F
Long Beach St.
27
26
13
10
76
Cal Poly
13
25
20
26
84
Team Stats
LBSU
CPO
FG%
.458
.426
3FG%
.231
.278
FT%
.731
.931
RB
35
36
TO
24
21
STL
11
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
13
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballPG
/ Women's Basketball
Photo by: Emmy Scherer
Mustangs Erase 21-Point Deficit in Comeback Win Over Long Beach State
2/10/2024 7:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Coming off a win Thursday over CSUN in which Cal Poly women's basketball came back from down 10 in the second half, the Mustangs continued to show their toughness and grit Saturday after they erased a 21-point deficit to comeback and defeat Long Beach State 84-76 inside Mott Athletics Center.
Five Mustangs (13-9, 9-4 BW) scored in double figures, led by senior forward Natalia Ackerman's seventh double-double of the season with 25 points and 11 rebounds. She was 13-14 from the free throw line and shot 60 percent from the field. Graduate guard Ania McNicholas stepped up with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Junior guard Annika Shah reached double figures for the third straight game and 13th time overall this season as she finished with 13 points. Fellow junior guard Sydney Bourland added 12 points and three assists while freshman Mary Carter came off the bench to add 10 points, including two clutch threes in the late stages of the game to help Cal Poly move into a three-way tie for second place in the Big West standings.
The game started off rough for the Mustangs as Long Beach State (8-14, 3-9 BW) shot 71 percent from the field in the first quarter as they got out to a 27-13 lead. That continued into the second quarter as Long Beach State continued its strong shooting and led 40-19 with five minutes left in the first half.
Trailing 53-38 at the half, the Mustangs regrouped and buckled down defensively in the second half, allowing Long Beach State to score just 23 points the entire second half. Cal Poly continued to get stops and scores and eventually cut the Long Beach State lead down to eight with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.
"That was uncharacteristic for us defensively in the first half," Shah said after the game. "We are a defensive team and know that it leads to our offense so just the continuous talk and everyone stepping up brought us together and we all trusted each other to make big plays."
The Beach opened the fourth with a bucket to push the lead back up to 10 before the Mustangs began their push. Cal Poly took its first lead of the game with just a little over three minutes left via a Carter three that was part of a 19-4 run over a six-minute span that gave the Mustangs a 77-72 lead with just under three minutes to go.
Long Beach State got back within three twice but were unable to get any closer as good free throw shooting by the Mustangs, who were 27-29 for the game from the charity stripe, sealed the comeback win.
Cal Poly's 84 points matched a season-high and their 21-point comeback is the biggest deficit they've overcome this year.
The Mustangs will now head over to face first place Hawai'i on the road next Thursday, Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. PT in their lone game of the week.
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Sunday, February 16
Sydney Bourland & Mary Carter Postgame Press Conference (CSU Bakersfield) - Jan. 30, 2025
Friday, January 31
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Friday, January 31
