With seven lead changes on Saturday afternoon, and the Cal Poly Women’s Basketball team never trailing by more than seven points against UC Davis, there was a light at the end of the tunnel in hopes of breaking their month-long victory drought.
With just nine seconds left in the game, a three-point shot made by Aggie Tegan Young and a last second free throw by Ryann Bennett created a 59-55 lead that sealed the deal on yet another loss for the Mustangs.
Mirroring their game against UC Riverside, the Mustangs drastically reduced their amount of turnovers, only producing 14 and holding the Aggies to just 11 points off of them. The Mustangs kept up with the Aggies on the stat sheet, notching more offensive and defensive rebounds as well as matching their number of blocks and steals earned.
“The ball was just really moving today, which was the right spot for us,” redshirt sophomore guard Alana Goosby said.
Pivotal performances
Goosby was the second-leading scorer with eight points and four rebounds. Being in the point guard position, she was a pivotal player in the Mustangs push as she led the team with four assists.
“She just finds everybody and makes sure everyone is in the right position,” freshman forward Charish Thompson said.
Continuing the season trend, Thompson led the statistics sheet. Despite being up against UC Davis’ Megan Norris, who is third in the conference in blocks, Thompson put up 16 points in the first half alone. She totaled 20 points and eight rebounds by the end of the game.
The Mustangs have relied on their young talent when it comes to offense throughout this season. Thompson lands second on the roster in scoring this season with 309 points, just behind sophomore guard Vanessa McManus, who has 341.
“[I] just attack it,” Thompson said. “Get to a line, get a bucket, just keep attacking.”
Season standings
With UC Davis being third in the conference and the Mustangs holding the 11th spot, the team is optimistic about what this narrow defeat means for the rest of the season.
“There’s potential for us,” Goosby said. “We’re a young group, but it’s there. It’s working.”
The Mustangs continue their season on the road as they take UC Irvine at Bren Events Center on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.