Senior guard Annika Shah’s career-high 27 points helped Cal Poly Women’s Basketball snap their two-game losing streak with a back-and-forth 61-56 victory over UC San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 9, inside Mott Athletics Center.
The Mustangs (7-8, 2-3 Big West) have battled through offensive struggles this season, but Thursday’s win over the Tritons showed none of those issues. Shah was in an offensive rhythm, going 7-for-8 from three-point range, while the team executed in critical moments.
Shah was pleased with the team’s performance today despite multiple challenges.
“I think this game is going to set the tone for the rest of our conference season,” Shah said. “If we continue to chip away and just continue to clean some things up, like our turnovers, we’re going to just keep improving and getting better.”
Cal Poly faces a season-long trend of struggling with turnovers, racking up 276 this season and an average of 20 a game.
“Most of our turnovers, if you watch, are [when] we’re in a hurry or we over dribble,” head coach Shanele Stires said. “That’s something we’re just going to have to keep working at.”
The Mustangs showcased strong defense early, frustrating the Tritons’ offensive rhythm and forcing turnovers from UC San Diego.
Shah’s shooting helped Cal Poly build a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Throughout the second quarter, the Tritons continued to pressure Cal Poly, led by 2024 Big West Freshman of the Year guard Sumayah Sugapong, who would finish the game leading the Tritons’ scoring with 23 points.
Despite the pressure, the Mustangs kept it close, holding a one-point lead going into halftime.
The Tritons’ lack of consistency with free throws throughout the game also put them behind, going just seven of 17 from the free-throw line for the game.
The second half was just as tightly contested. Sophomore forward Mary Carter started Cal Poly’s scoring in the second half, but the momentum wasn’t enough, as the Mustangs trailed close at 40-41 moving into the final quarter.
A run of 21 fourth-quarter points spurred by several three-pointers and no missed free throws was the difference maker for Cal Poly, who took home the win in clutch fashion.
The Mustangs shot 46% from the field, and nearly 53% from three. The stellar shooting performance counteracted their 25 turnovers in the game.
Shah led the charge, breaking her career record for points scored with 27 on 9-14 shooting, helping lead the Mustangs to victory.
“I think her floor leadership and her senior leadership has been critical, and she’s added some really clutch and timely scoring,” Stires said.
Stires felt inspired by the team’s win and has hope for more improvement moving forward.
“When you look at the Big West, everyone [has] already kind of maxed out how good they are,” Stires said. “I feel like our ceiling is probably considerably higher than most of the other teams in the league.”
The Mustangs will continue conference play as they travel to their highly anticipated Blue-Green rivalry game to take on UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 4 p.m. at the UCSB Thunderdome.