Cal Poly women’s basketball dropped its third straight conference game to Cal State Northridge 54-45 on Saturday, Jan. 8 inside Mott Athletic Center.
Cal Poly (1-11, 0-3 Big West) extended their losing streak to nine games with the loss while the Matadores (5-6, 1-0 Big West) picked up their first conference win after having their previous three games canceled due to COVID-19.
The Mustangs took the early lead in the game with a 6-2 run to open up the game. Cal Poly established their largest lead of the first quarter at 9-4 after a made three-pointer by sophomore guard Maddie Willett. That lead was then erased when CSUN made a run at the end of the period to tie the game at 10 going into the second.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair with neither team establishing more than a three-point lead. The Mustang lead was at three points with 2:43 left in the quarter after a bucket by junior point guard Maddie Vick. However, the Matadors held the Mustangs scoreless for the rest of the half, and with two baskets of their own took a 23-22 lead into the break.
To open up the second half, Vick made a three-pointer to add to her game-high 15 points. There were five ties in the third quarter alone, as neither team was able to take control of the game. A layup by CSUN’s Jordyn Jackson with one second remaining in the quarter gave the Matadors a two point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Matadors held a steady lead that proved to be too much for the Mustangs to overcome, as Cal Poly was never able to get the lead to less than three. In the final 43 seconds, CSUN outscored Cal Poly 6-3 with all of their points coming from the free throw line. CSUN’s ability to knock down shots from the charity stripe earned them the 54-45 victory.
The Matadors were able to pick up the win despite going just 1-18 from the three-point line on the day. However, it was also a difficult offensive game for Cal Poly, as they converted only 15 of their 54 shot attempts.
The Mustangs will hit the road for their next matchup when they take on UC Riverside on Thursday, Jan. 13 inside SRC Arena.