Danelle Bishop Ties Darlene May for Most CCAA Wins in Program History With Big Overtime Victory in Chico
CHICO, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team hung on for an exciting overtime win against Chico State on Thursday night, defeating the Wildcats 90-84. With the win, the No. 21 ranked Broncos improve to 11-2 on the season, 6-1 in CCAA play, and snap Chico State's eight-game winning streak.
Head coach Danelle Bishop reached a notable milestone with the win on Thursday night, tying coaching legend Darlene May for the most CCAA wins in program history with her 196th conference victory. Hall of Fame coach Darlene May, who led the Broncos to three national titles from 1974-1994, owned an unfathomable 196-7 record in CCAA games during her tenure as head coach. The team went an unbelievable 85-1 in CCAA games in their first seven seasons in the conference, all under the leadership of May.
Bishop, now in her 14th season (15th year) as head coach of the Broncos, owns a career conference record of 196-90, good for a .685 winning percentage. She has posted a winning record in conference play in 11 of her 13 seasons, while the team is also off to a 6-1 start during the 2024-25 campaign. Bishop is already the second-winningest coach in program history behind only May, and with one more win, will become the program's all-time leader in CCAA wins.
Kalaya Buggs and Cookie Marques led the Broncos to the overtime win in Chico, each turning in season-high performances with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Buggs was automatic from the line, going 9-for-10, while Marques also went 4-for-5 from the charity stripe with a team-leading four made three's.
Sophomore Khamiyah Anderson delivered a career-high with 16 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the field while tying Buggs with eight rebounds. Sydney Nelson and Breanne Ha rounded out the five Broncos to score in double figures, Nelson doing so in her 11th consecutive game.
Ha reached a notable milestone as well, surpassing the 900 career points mark on Thursday. Ha's two three's against the Wildcats also inched her closer to the all-time record, as she now has 202 made treys in her career. With just 13 more she will tie the school record, and with 14 more she will break it.
Both teams played very well, just as each has done all season. Both shot over 45 percent from the field, but the Broncos outperformed Chico State by a wide margin beyond the arc and at the line. The Green & Gold also outscored Chico State 26-11 in bench points, which played a big part in keeping the game close in the middle quarters. Ultimately, the Broncos held on for the overtime win, outscoring Chico 10-4 in the final quarter, to come away with their 11th win of the season.
Up Next
The Broncos will travel to Arcata to take on Cal Poly Humboldt in the team's first edition of the Cal Poly Clash. The game will take place at 1:00 PM in Lumberjack Arena, or you can watch on FloCollege.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 34-30 (.531) all-time against Chico State, including 5-5 in their past 10 games.
- Danelle Bishop is now 257-134 (.657) as head coach of the Broncos, including 196-90 in CCAA play. Including two previous stops at APU and CBU, Bishop is 395-219 all-time as a head coach.
- Record Watch – Breanne Ha needs just 14 more threes to pass Anna James (1999-03) for most three-point field goals made in school history (215).
- The team's 11-2 start is their best since the 2018-19 season.
Latest All Athletics News
- Mueller Named CSC Academic All-American®Already one of the greatest setters in school history, senior Caitie Mueller added to her distinguished Cal Poly Pomona career on Tuesday morning being named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Second Team. Mueller is the first CPP volleyball student-athlete to earn the award in 36 years, as Gayle Deisinger was the last to receive the distinction during the 1988 season.
- Kalaya Buggs Named CCAA Player of the WeekCal Poly Pomona's Kalaya Buggs has been voted the FloCollege/CCAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 6-12.
- No. 21 Women’s Basketball Continues Hot Start, Bishop Becomes Winningest Conference Coach in Program HistoryHead coach Danelle Bishop made history on Saturday afternoon, claiming her 197th conference victory as head coach at Cal Poly Pomona. This win makes Bishop the winningest conference coach in school history, passing Darlene May, who had 196 conference wins in her historic 20-year career from 1974-94.
- Cal Poly Clash VictoryIn an exciting Cal Poly Clash showdown, the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos came out on top, defeating the Cal Poly Humboldt Lumberjacks 75-69. This victory moved the Broncos closer to claiming the Cal Poly Clash title, earning them 0.5 points.
- Broncos Battle to the Finish, but Chico State Wins in OvertimeThe Cal Poly Pomona Broncos fell just short in a thrilling 83-81 overtime loss to the Chico State Wildcats in an intense and back-and-forth contest.
- Tara Oper of Cal Poly Pomona Named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year Award Finalist for SoccerCal Poly Pomona senior Tara Oper has been named a finalist for the DII Honda Athlete of the Year for Soccer, as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.