There’s a reason Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Head Coach Shanele Stries scheduled a rigorous non-conference schedule for her team to start the season. The Mustangs have played two top 25 ranked opponents in No. 24 Washington State and No. 6 Stanford, along with Cal and San Jose State, who proved to be difficult matchups.
The Mustangs also have No. 8 ranked USC on the horizon. But the tough matchups and blowout losses are all in preparation for conference play.
In the midst of a brutal set of games, the Mustangs caught a break against winless Seattle U and took down the Redhawks in a dominant 68-43 win.
The Mustangs (2-4) held the Redhawks to just four second-half field goals in a 25-point victory.
Junior guard Annika Shah scored 22 points on six of 14 shooting from three-point range. Senior center Natalia Ackerman added 13 points and three blocks.
Living in the paint
The Mustangs don’t usually have a physicality and size advantage over opponents, but the team lived in the paint, scoring 36 of their 68 points close to the rim compared to the Redhawks’ 18 points from the paint.
The Redhawks put on a full-court press to speed up the Mustangs. Past opponents, such as Stanford, Cal and San Jose State used a similar strategy to speed up the Mustangs and force turnovers due to length and athleticism.
The Mustangs still had issues with turnovers (14 in the game), but most of the errors stemmed from offensive fouls, such as illegal screens, over-the-back fouls, and push-offs.
From their experience dealing with pressure, the Mustangs got the ball into the middle of the press and moved the ball up the court quickly, which led to two-on-one situations near the rim where the Mustangs converted.
How the Mustangs moved the ball
Because Seattle U turned to a pressure defense and zone at times, the Mustangs were forced to move the ball to break down the defense.
The unselfish brand of play showed up in the team’s 18 assists.
Six players had two or more assists, and ten of the 11 players who checked into the game recorded one assist.
When the team would get the ball in the middle of the floor, the team’s forwards, such as redshirt freshman Sierra Lichtie, junior Syndey Bourland and freshman Mary Carter, would force the defense to step up before making a dunp off pass to a big near the basket or skip the ball to the opposite side for a three-point shot.
All three of those players finished with two or more assists.
Shah hunting her shot
With more ball handling and better playmakers on this year’s Mustangs squad, Shah has used her shooting ability to punish teams by moving and relocating without the ball.
Shah hit four of her six threes in the first half. When a player drove the ball, Shah spotted up away from the play before receiving a swing pass and converting.
On the season, the Palo Alto native is shooting 39.3% from three. Nearly half her field goal attempts have come behind the arc.
The Mustangs play the final game of their seven-game road trip against No. 8 USC in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m.