Helped by stellar individual performances and impenetrable defense, Cal Poly Women’s Basketball took down CSUN in a commanding 75-34 home victory on Saturday.
After the Matadors’ (4-19, 2-12 Big West) opening bucket of the game, they never led again. The Mustangs (11-13, 6-8 Big West) outscored the Matadors by 10 or more in every quarter, and led by as much as 45 points.
Cal Poly also snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory, and remain No. 8 in the Big West.
Standout performances
Both sophomore forward Mary Carter and freshman Gabby Robinson had career games.
Carter scored a career-high 22 points, shooting 70% from the field and 4-6 from three. She stood out on both ends of the floor, also blocking a career-high five shots in the win.
Robinson added to the strong offensive performance, shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field in just 13 minutes on the floor. Robinson piled onto the momentum late in the first half, making three shots on three consecutive possessions and finishing the game with 12 points.
She also led the bench in scoring with her 12 points, while other contributions from freshman forward Nora Perez and senior forward Sidney Richards added up to a season-high 28 bench points.
Dominant on defense
Cal Poly also had one of their best defensive games of the season, holding CSUN to 20.8% shooting from the field.
The Mustangs took advantage of the faltering CSUN offense, forcing 30 turnovers, the highest mark of the season for Cal Poly’s defense. Stifling defense turned into a strong offense, and the Mustangs scored 32 points off those turnovers.
Multiple players had two or more steals or blocks in the game, including Carter, Robinson, Perez, Richards, senior guard Annika Shah, senior guard Sydney Bourland and graduate guard Ashley Hiraki.
In the first half, the Mustangs scored 45 points and gave up just 10 points. Both are season bests for Cal Poly, and the Mustangs all but secured the game with a 35 point halftime lead.
This is the first conference game that the Mustangs have won by 40 or more points since 2013.
Cal Poly is currently set to clinch the No. 8 and final seed in the Big West postseason, but they are closely trailed by Cal State Fullerton, who currently hold the No. 9 seed in the conference.
Cal Poly will go on the road next week and take on UC San Diego in La Jolla on Feb. 20 with tip off at 7 p.m.
