After a tough loss in overtime on Friday night, Cal Poly Women’s Basketball bounced back defeating Chapman University by a score of 59-31 on Monday.
This victory broke their four-game losing streak, putting them back on the right track as they head into their first taste of Big West action this week.
While the Mustangs are only in their sixth game of the season, they have seen some strong competition, bringing home just two victories so far.
Their non-conference schedule only gets tougher as they face UCLA, USC and UC Berkeley in three consecutive games in December right after beginning conference play.
The Offensive and defensive harmony
With five lead changes in the first quarter, it took Cal Poly almost 10 minutes to find their footing. With three minutes and 21 seconds left in the quarter, the Mustangs secured the final lead change of 9-8, ensuring Chapman never had the upper hand again.
Sophomore guard Vanessa McManus was named Big West Player of the Week just hours before the game, and proved true to her title as she captained the offense scoring 14 points, leading the team to victory and being the only player to reach double digits.
She was given the award last week after notching a career high scoring game against Southern Utah with 34 points, and averaging 23.3 points per game on the season.
The Mustangs carried their advantageous momentum into the second half. Freshman guard Katie Peiffer led the offense in the third quarter with seven points, as the squad shot at a 60% field goal percentage in the third quarter to start the half.
The Panthers only scored eight times throughout the entire second half, letting the Mustangs coast to their first victory since Nov. 3.
Cal Poly’s offense and defense worked in tandem throughout the entirety of the game, finishing with 26 defensive rebounds and holding the Panthers to a 17.6% field goal percentage.
McManus and sophomore forward Gillian Bears led the Mustangs on the boards, securing nine each. A key piece to the Mustangs win was their dominance in the paint, as they scored 36 points in the lane accounting for over 60% of their final score.
The Mustangs will now head into two conference games against CSU Fullerton and UC Riverside on Dec. 4 and 6 before heading back into non-conference play.