POMONA — Thursday night's win at Cal Poly Pomona was an upset win in many ways — but the road Warriors expected the outcome as Stanislaus State defeated No. 19 Cal Poly Pomona, 62-58, at Kellogg Arena.
The win marks the Warriors' first victory over a nationally ranked team since beating these same Broncos on Feb. 20, 2016, in Turlock.
Stanislaus State also won in Pomona for the first time since Feb. 15, 2008, snapping a 10-game losing streak on the Kellogg Arena court, the site of this year's CCAA Basketball Championship Tournament in March.
The Warriors, winners of four out of the last five games, improved to 14-7 overall and 9-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Stan State also improved to 9-3 in games away from Fitzpatrick Arena.
Cal Poly Pomona, which entered the game as the top team in the CCAA, ended a four-game winning streak and fell to 16-4, 13-3.
For the fourth time this season five Warriors scored in double-digits.
Andy Cleaves led with 16 points,
Kyle Gouveia scored 12 and
Kaelen Mitchell netted 11.
Ty Davis and
Xavier Francois each chipped in 10 points.
Entering the night, Pomona boasts the top defense in the league, allowing just 61.2 points per conference game. Opponents shot just 36.8 percent in these CCAA contests.
But the Warriors bettered both numbers. Stan State scored 62 points and shot 42.9 percent on the night. More impressively, the Warriors held the Broncos to just 37.3 percent shooting for the game — 23.3 percent on 7 of 30 shooting in the second half. During a 10-plus minute stretch, Pomona made just one basket in 12 tries during a 10-3 Stan State run.
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Warriors took over in the second half. They used a 13-0 run after intermission to claim their first lead. Then runs of 10-3 and 8-0 pushed them ahead.
With Stanislaus leading 58-47 with 1:11 to play, the Broncos made a run by scoring 9 of the next 10 points to cut the deficit down to three. But free throws by Cleaves and Mitchell kept the Warriors ahead.
Cleaves also had five rebounds and four steals while
Vida Faniel and Gouveia each led with seven rebounds.
The Warriors hope to keep the momentum on Saturday when they visit Cal State San Bernardino at Coussoulis Arena, where they have lost four straight against the Coyotes.