Cal Poly Women’s Basketball earned one win and one loss against non-conference opponents in the ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic Nov. 29-30 inside Mott Athletics Center. After a 61-55 defeat against tournament champions Old Dominion on Friday, Cal Poly bounced back with a one-point victory over Lamar in a 57-56 battle on Saturday.
The tournament also saw head coach Faith Mimnaugh earn her 300th career victory. Mimnaugh is in her 23rd season with the program.
Friday versus Old Dominion
Cal Poly outscored Old Dominion 22-13 in the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs lost 61-55 in the first game of the tournament Friday, Nov. 29. Redshirt junior Sierra Campisano had a team-high 19 points and added eight rebounds.
Old Dominion (4-1) opened the game with a 13-3 run that saw all five Monarch players score. Freshman point guard Abbey Ellis was the only Mustang to respond with a lone three-pointer. Cal Poly (1-5) shortened the gap to five points behind a three-pointer from sophomore guard Gianna Silvestri and a layup from Campisano with 2:08 on the clock. However, the score of 13-8 was the closest Cal Poly came to finding the lead for the remainder of the half, which closed with Old Dominion ahead 32-19.
Old Dominion extended their lead with an 8-2 run thanks to two three-pointers from guard Victoria Morris. Morris, along with teammate Amari Young, co-led the Monarchs with 11 points each. A pair of free throws from senior forward Alicia Roufosse brought the score to 45-33 with under a minute remaining in the quarter, but a Monarch three-pointer granted Old Dominion a comfortable 48-33 lead.
Cal Poly bounced back midway through the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run that pulled the team within seven points at 51-44. The Mustangs continued to close the gap until an Ellis layup brought the difference to one possession at 58-55 with 17 seconds remaining. However, Monarch player Taylor Edwards was fouled on the ensuing play and sunk back-to-back free throws to regain the five-point advantage. After a failed Mustang attack, Edwards added another free throw as Old Dominion finished out on top 61-55.
Saturday versus Lamar
Ellis scored a game-winning layup with one second on the clock in Cal Poly’s 57-56 win over Lamar Saturday, Nov. 30 inside Mott Athletics Center. The victory concluded the two-game ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic, which saw the Mustangs go 1-1 against non-conference opponents.
Ellis shot 8-for-16 from the field for a team-high 20 points while Roufosse added 14 rebounds in the victory.
Cal Poly (2-5) opened the game with a strong performance in the first quarter and outscored Lamar (2-5) 20-9 for an early advantage. The Mustangs held onto their 11-point lead as the game was extended to 26-15 midway through the second quarter. However, the Cardinals closed the gap to just seven points as the first half concluded with Cal Poly ahead 32-25.
Cal Poly continued to dominate offensively and scored five straight points to close out the third quarter at 45-34. A lay-in by junior forward Kirsty Brown brought the score to 49-36 in the fourth quarter for Cal Poly’s largest lead of the night. However, Lamar responded with a 12-0 run to pull the score within one point at 49-48 with just over four minutes remaining.
After an Ellis three-pointer broke the Cardinals scoring drive, Lamar scored five unanswered points to take their first lead of the game at 53-52. A Lamar three-pointer maintained the team’s lead at 56-55, but the Cardinals missed five consecutive free throws in the final minute to keep Cal Poly’s hopes alive.
In the final possession of the game, Ellis drove toward the right side of the basket with two Lamar players in her path. As the opposition started to close in, Ellis took a 360 degree spin and shot a backwards layup in the process. The shot miraculously found its way through the net for a 57-56 Cal Poly victory.
? WHAT. A. FINISH!! ?
? #RideHigh pic.twitter.com/bjDBM5quLf
— Cal Poly WBB (@CalPolyWBB) December 1, 2019
Old Dominion took home the Beach Classic title after wins against Cal Poly on Friday and Idaho on Saturday. Monarch player Amari Young was named Tournament MVP.
Cal Poly will be on the road for its next match at Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m.