Lauren RabainoThe Cal Poly women’s basketball team erased the specter of an ugly loss early in the conference schedule by beating Cal State Fullerton 72-61 on Saturday night in Mott Gym to win their sixth consecutive game.
“We felt like our game at Fullerton was an embarrassment,” Cal Poly head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “This was far from an embarrassment tonight.”
The Mustangs (15-7, 7-3 Big West Conference), who were defeated by the Titans on Jan. 8 despite outshooting them by 13 percentage points, never allowed their flustered opponent into the game.
Cal Poly came storming out of the gates culminated on a 3-point shot by junior guard Ashlee Stewart that gave the Mustangs a 16-2 lead just over five minutes into the game.
The Titans never closed to a single-digit deficit after the initial run.
“We had a chip on our shoulder because we lost to Fullerton at their place so we knew we had to come out with a lot of energy,” senior forward Megan Harrison said.
Harrison would record the Mustangs’ first double-double this year, registering 18 points, a team-high 10 rebounds and five assists.
She said that the team has been working on its rebounding, and its starting to pay dividends.
“We’re really concentrating on boxing out on the defensive end and really crashing on the offensive end and follow our shots,” Harrison said. “It worked well for us tonight.”
Harrison was not the only player on the glass for Cal Poly, who got a career-high nine rebounds from freshman forward Abby Bloetscher in just ten minutes of action.
The Mustangs’ size may have contributed to the team’s success. Cal Poly started four players over 6-foot while the Titans tallest starter, senior forward Toni Thomas was just 5-foot-11.
The Mustangs held Thomas without a field goal, limiting her to just 12 points, all of which came at the free throw line.
“(Thomas) is a strong attacker, so we had help cut her off. We played strong team defense and our help side was always there,” sophomore forward Kristina Santiago said.
Harrison agreed that stopping Thomas, a two-time first team All-Big West selection, was the key for Cal Poly defensively.
“(Thomas) is a great player, but we knew that if we could limit her that it would lead us toward a big win,” she said.
And it did.
Santiago continued her streak of 17 straight games in double figures with a game-high 23 points. She also added five rebounds and three assists.
The Mustangs have thus far held serve during a three-game homestand, but their biggest test awaits them on Saturday.
UC Santa Barbara, undefeated in conference, will visit Mott Gym in a game that has big conference tournament implications. If Cal Poly can win, it will ensure the team its first winning season since the 1991-92 year.
With all that in mind, Santiago said the team is now completely focused on the Gauchos.
“This game is done now,” she said. “We’re all about Santa Barbara now. We’re very excited to play them (on Saturday).”