Cal Poly Women’s Basketball couldn’t contain Saint Mary’s three point shooting as they dropped their fourth straight road game 84-67 on Saturday Dec. 7th inside McKeon Pavilion.
Cal Poly (2-6) has yet to obtain a road win this season, while Saint Mary’s (4-4) is now .500.
The Mustangs got off to a slow start, only managing nine points in the first quarter compared to 19 points by the Gaels. After Saint Mary’s got out to a 5-0 lead to begin the game, Cal Poly came back to cut the deficit to one after four points from redshirt junior forward Sierra Campisano and freshman point guard Abbey Ellis. However, this would prove to be the closest point margin of the game.
The Gaels rode their momentum from the first quarter and scored six quick points to begin the second quarter. After some back and forth scoring throughout the quarter and a 7-0 run for the Mustangs, Saint Mary’s led 33-22 with 1:42 remaining in the half. The Gaels’ offense then went on a 8-0 run to end the half up 41-22.
At halftime, Campisano led all players with 10 points while Ellis added seven of her own. The Mustangs only managed to shoot 34.5 percent from the field and were 1-7 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s had much more success offensively, ending the first half with 48.4 percent shooting from the field and 9-20 from the three point range.
Every Gael player had scored at halftime, while only four Mustangs managed to get on the board before the third quarter.
Saint Mary’s didn’t slow down in the second half. The Gaels’ offense continued to knock down three pointers, splashing eight in just the third quarter – including three from sophomore guard Taycee Wedin and junior forward Emily Codding.
After being outscored in each of the first three quarters, the Mustangs managed to outscore the Gaels 23-10 in the final quarter. However, the late effort proved to be too late as the final score ended 84-67 in favor of Saint Mary’s.
Despite Cal Poly shooting a better field goal percentage (46.6 percent versus 44.3 percent), Saint Mary’s three point shooting was the difference in the game. The Gaels made 18 three pointers on 40 percent shooting from downtown, while the Mustangs only made one of their eight three point attempts.
Campisano and Ellis each recorded 20-point games to lead the Mustangs’ offense, scoring 21 and 24, respectively. Senior forward Alicia Roufosse also reached double digits with 12 points of her own.
Cal Poly will return to Mott Athletic Center to take on Seattle University on Friday, Dec. 20th at 1 p.m.