Led by a 21-point, 12-rebound effort by junior forward Sierra Campisano, the Cal Poly women’s basketball team never trailed on Saturday at CSUN, picking up a 52-41 Big West Conference road victory in The Matadome.
Cal Poly started fast, sprinting out to an 11-2 lead just over four minutes from the opening tip, on the way to an 18-14 advantage after the first quarter. The Mustangs then closed the half on a 7-0 run, as a jump shot from just inside the 3-point line by Malia Holt just before the horn sent Cal Poly to the break up 29-20.
On five different occasions through the third quarter, Cal Poly (2-5 BWC; 5-13) held 13-point leads, but the Matadors (4-3 BWC; 9-12) hung around, pulling within 41-33 heading to the fourth.
Jordyn Jackson scored on a layup three-and-a-half minutes into the final period to cut the lead to two possessions, 42-36, but Mustang junior guard Chantel Govan responded with a drive to re-establish the eight-point margin. Holt then sank back-to-back free throws with 2:04 remaining to provide a 48-39 lead, before freshman Abbey Ellis added two more from the foul line to effectively put the game out of reach, 50-39 with 38 seconds to play.
The Mustangs, who held second-half leads in all of their conference defeats this year, limited CSUN to a 2-for-18 day from 3-point territory while outrebounding the Matadors 43-32 on the way to holding on down the stretch.
The win puts Cal Poly into a three-way tie for seventh place in the league standings, alongside UC Irvine and UC Riverside. The top eight teams ultimately move on to the Big West Tournament in March, with seeds 3 through 8 opening at Long Beach State for first-round and quarterfinal matchups before the semifinals shift to the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Campisano finished 9-for-17 shooting overall Saturday, including a 3-for-4 performance from 3-point range, equaling her season-best display beyond the arc. The forward from San Diego also had four assists and two blocks while notching her seventh double-double of 2019-20.
Holt, meanwhile, played 39 minutes for the Mustangs, matching her season high with seven boards, also distributing a team-high five assists. Off the bench, Hannah Peterson added an efficient 2-for-3 evening in eight floor minutes, including a 3, as she helped the Mustangs go 5-for-11 from deep (45.5 percent).
Up next, Cal Poly returns home to host Hawai’i at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, before taking on Long Beach State in Mott Athletics Center at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8.
-Provided by Cal Poly
