The Cal Poly women’s basketball team hadn’t won two consecutive Big West Conference games this season until last weekend’s defeats of Pacific and UC Davis.
The Mustangs (11-7) may have finally found their stride in conference. Now they step away from the Big West for the final time this season as they take on Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. in the Icardo Center.
Mustangs’ head coach Faith Mimnaugh said that playing the Roadrunners while the team is in a grove isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“The part about Bakersfield that’s really good for us at this stage is that their style of play is very similar to a Fullerton or Northridge,” Mimnaugh explained. “They are the type of team that gets up and down the floor quickly. So this prepares us for both of those opponents.”
Cal Poly can ill afford to lose the momentum gained over the weekend in which they moved up to third place in the Big West standings. The Mustangs now trail UC Riverside by a 1 1/2 games for second place in the conference. The top two seeds earn first round byes in the Big West Tournament in March.
The Roadrunners (13-7) are undefeated against Big West competition in four games this year and are in the third year of a four-year transition to the Division I level.
Cal State Bakersfield is lead by senior guard Christine Kepenekian who averages 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Her scoring and rebounding averages would be among the top 60 in the nation if the Roadrunners were not classified as a transitioning team.
Not bad for a guard who is 5-foot-7.
“They’re undersized,” Mimnaugh said of the Roadrunners. “They play a lot of guards. They penetrate the ball well and they shoot the three extremely well. They’re a scary team for us to go on the road and take on but at the same time it’s great preparation for what we’re going to face on Saturday against Northridge.”
Cal Poly senior guard Lisa McBride will be among those drawing the tough assignment of slowing down Kepenekian. McBride was named Big West Player of the Week after she averaged 18.5 points and six rebounds in the Mustangs’ two victories.
The Mustangs continue to share the ball extremely well, including an astounding 25 assists on 26 field goals in Cal Poly’s 64-60 win over UC Davis on Saturday.
Mimnaugh explained that the team coming together off the court has helped how they play together on it.
“They really do enjoy each other,” Mimnaugh said of her team. “They spend a lot of time together. Their chemistry is good off the court, which is why their chemistry is so good on it.”