Cal Poly Women’s Basketball lost their second away game of the season against California Baptist 61-51 at the CBU Events Center on Saturday, Dec. 19.
The Mustangs (3-2) looked to earn their fourth straight victory after sweeping their three game home stand against New Mexico State and Santa Clara. However, it was Cal Baptist (8-0) who kept their winning streak alive on Saturday, extending their unbeaten start to the season.
The two teams were locked in defensively from the opening tip as the game remained tied 6-6 with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Despite the hot start defensively, the Mustangs were down 13-8 heading into the second quarter after committing eight turnovers that the Lancers were able to capitalize on.
The Mustangs responded in the second quarter by going on a 8-0 run in the opening minutes of the second quarter to take a 16-13 lead with 6:36 left. The game quickly went back to a defensive battle with neither team gaining a significant lead as the game was tied 20-20 at halftime.
Although senior forward Sierra Campisano had trouble scoring in the first half, her aggressiveness on both sides of the court led her to grab 11 of the Mustangs’ 25 rebounds by halftime.
The Lancers had an offensive response of their own as they started the second half on a 10-0 scoring run which gave them a 30-20 lead with 6:45 left in the third quarter.
Cal Poly scored some quick baskets thanks to sophomore guard Abbey Ellis but the Lancers continued to trade baskets with the Mustangs as they stayed ahead 42-30 with 3:13 left in the quarter. However, Cal Poly had no answers to disrupt Cal Baptist’s offensive rhythm as their lead grew to 46-31 heading into the final quarter.
The Mustangs couldn’t find a way to climb back into the game in the fourth quarter despite Ellis scoring 22 points and Campisano finishing the game with her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 18 rebounds.
The third quarter proved to be one of the deciding factors of the game as the Lancers outscored the Mustangs 26-11 in the period after being tied at halftime.
The Mustangs were also unable to score from deep as they shot 0-11 on three pointers for the game. Meanwhile, Cal Baptist made three of their five total three pointers in the third quarter alone which opened the game up for the Lancers.
The Mustangs will finish their two game non-conference road trip against San Diego State on Monday, Dec. 21.