ANAHEIM — This season was the Mustangs’ chance to say “Finally.”
Finally, the most successful coach in program history would get to hold the championship trophy. Finally, for the first time in 14 seasons of Big West play, the Mustangs would be able to utter the word, “Champions.” Finally, what was a mere goal at the beginning of the season would become a gold-tinted reality.
But in one of the biggest games in program history, UC Davis turned “Finally” into “Almost.”
Cal Poly’s historic season filled with twists and turns ended short of an NCAA Tournament bid Saturday. In a contest which the Mustangs never led, Cal Poly fell to rival UC Davis, 66-49, in the Big West Tournament championship game. It’s the second championship trip in program history for head coach Faith Mimnaugh and the Mustangs — and now both have ended with losses.
“The game today was won by (UC Davis’) tremendous defensive effort they put in the first half,” Mimnaugh said. “What a fine basketball team they have.”
UC Davis controlled the tempo the entire game. With Aggies leaping to as much as a 16-point lead off a jumper by Hannah Stephens, the Mustangs couldn’t answer. When they tried, UC Davis’ Paige Mintun proved to be too much in the paint and kept the Aggies ahead. With center Abby Bloetscher on the bench due to foul trouble, UC Davis’ 6-foot-2 senior center was able to score 11 points through the first 20 minutes.
“We just didn’t have the size to mimic anything they (did),” Mimnaugh said. “They have a great system, they have great people for their system and they played a heck of a game.”
But with the Aggies leading Cal Poly 35-22 at the break, history seemed to be on the Mustangs’ side. In every game of this year’s Big West Tournament, Cal Poly has played a game of two different halves. Against Cal State Fullerton, the Mustangs let a 43-28 lead slip and become a 73-70 win. Against Pacific the Mustangs used a 38-point second half rally to defeat the Tigers 70-55.
Early, that trend looked like it would continue. A 3-pointer by guard Rachel Clancy put the Mustangs as close as five points with 15:22 left in the game. Then UC Davis fired back with free throws by Mintun and Samantha Meggison to put the Aggies back on top, 42-33.
“Their intensity and their zone kind of put us on our heels a bit,” center Abby Bloetscher said. “They are very good at what they do — especially with their zone.”
From there, the Mustangs couldn’t piece together the offense to fend off the Aggies. UC Davis pulled away to as much as 19 points en route to the Big West Tournament championship trophy and an NCAA Tournament berth. The loss continues the Mustangs’ 14-season championship drought. Nevertheless, Mimnaugh remains optimistic that they will be back.
“I think that the team in the last few years has really developed a championship mentality,” Mimnaugh said. “It was a great disappointment for all of us but at the same time it’s an opportunity to continue to build our basketball program … We definitely have a talented team coming in next year and I would hope that they strive for the same level of competitiveness that this team has.”