In the last three minutes of the first half, junior forward Kristina Santiago visited the free throw line 12 times. With a game total of 14 attempted, she made nine free throws. The Mustang’s visits to the free throw line throughout the game helped the team score a 62-59 win over the Pepperdine Waves Saturday.
For a team with four players out with injuries and Santiago playing with a back injury, the women’s basketball team has had to adjust, and players have stepped up to fill in the gaps.
“It is always physical, especially when you play a post position, so I was kind of expecting it, but I am always a little cautious because of my back,” Santiago said.
The physicality of the game led both teams to the free throw line. The Mustangs had 33 attempted free throws and the Waves had 18.
“It is hard to be as physical as you want to be,” Santiago said. “Most of the time, I can overcome it because I just get so focused in the game I don’t really think about it.”
After the fouls against Santiago in the first half, the Mustangs continued to try to keep Pepperdine from penetration.
“We definitely wanted to take them out of penetration, that’s their game,” head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “In the games we have been watching of them, they live at the free throw line they penetrate the ball so much.”
Cal Poly was able to hold off the Waves as they came back in the second half. At the half, the Mustangs held the lead 32-23, but the Waves closed the point gap.
The Waves out-rebounded the Mustangs 42-39. But sophomore guard Ariel Gregersen led with 10 personal rebounds.
“Rebounding is just my job, so I get on the court and all I want to do is rebound offensively and defensively,” Gregersen said. “You need to be a scorer; you don’t need to be anything else. You need the boards no matter what.”
Junior guard Rachel Clancy said that rebounding was a point of emphasis for the team.
Another point of emphasis is keeping Santiago in the game.
“One of our goals this year is seeing how long we can keep Santiago on the court,” Mimnaugh said. “She is a heck of a player, and the more minutes she gets on the court, probably, the better we are going to do.”
In the end of the fourth minute in the second half, Santiago received her fifth foul.
“It is probably the worst thing as a basketball player to foul out. You kind of feel like you let your team down, you let yourself down, you let the fans down,” Santiago said.
Even with a player out of the game, Cal Poly was able to maintain the lead to the end. Knowing the Waves had just come off a 49-point loss to Stanford helped the Mustangs focus from the beginning of the game.
“We knew they would be hungry and turning up the pressure right from the get-go,” Clancy said.
The Mustangs matched that pressure for the win Saturday.
Santiago led the Mustangs with 15 points against the Waves, followed by Rachel Clancy who went 5-6 from the field with 13 points. Clancy’s missed basket came off a blocked shot attempt.
Katie Menton led the Waves with 20 points.
Cal Poly will host the third annual Courtyard by Marriott Holiday Beach Classic Nov. 28-29. The Mustangs will play Illinois to kick off the competition at 2 p.m. Saturday Nov. 28 in Mott Gym.