Mustang News Staff Report
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The Cal Poly women’s basketball team (9-8 4-1 Big West Conference) came away with its fifth victory in the last six games after beating Cal State Fullerton (8-9, 2-2) 57-48 at Titan Gym on Thursday night.
In the first half, strong rebounding by senior forward Taryn Garza and 10 points by senior guard Kristen Ale paved the way to a comfortable 30-19 Cal Poly lead. Free throws were the name of the game, as the Mustangs were 6 for 7 from the charity line while Cal State Fullerton went 2 for 11 in the game’s first 20 minutes.
Cal Poly’s clutch shooting and free throw accuracy proved to be enough to outlast a talented Titans roster in the second half. An efficient scoring performance by guard Chante Miles was upended by the timely shooting of Cal Poly’s senior guards Ariana Elegado and Ale, who nailed bucket after bucket.
While the Mustangs were outscored in the final 20 minutes, it was good enough to put them over .500 on the season.
Ale ended up with a game-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds and four assists.
The Mustangs shot 93 percent from the free throw line in the matchup, while the Titans posted an abysmal 38 percent from the charity stripe. The 16 missed free throws by Cal State Fullerton made a huge difference in the long run.
The team effort was highlighted by one subtle statistic. Eleven Mustangs tallied a rebound in the game, a testament to the depth of the Cal Poly squad as a whole.
The Mustangs will look to continue their fine run of form when they face UC Riverside on Jan. 24 at 5 p.m.