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 Women's Basketball
- Breanne Ha Ties the All-Time Three-Point RecordBreanne Ha etched her name into the CPP record book once again on Saturday afternoon, tying both the all-time three-point record (215) and single-game three-point record (8) against Stanislaus State. The Rancho Cucamonga native already broke the single-season three-point record last year (73), meaning she now owns at least a share of the single-game, single-season, and all-time three point records - solidifying herself as the greatest long range shooter to ever wear the Green & Gold.
- Kevin Gomez Named Assistant Athletics Director for DevelopmentKevin Gomez has joined Cal Poly Pomona Athletics as the new Assistant Athletics Director for Development, it was announced by Director of Athletics Brian Swanson and Executive Director of Development Pam Jones-Tintle on Friday. Gomez, who most recently served as the Assistant Director of Athletics Advancement at Claremont McKenna College, began his role on Wednesday, January 15th.
- Broncos Explode for 35-Point Victory Over OttersThe Broncos exploded for 90 points against Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday night, tying a season-high in points scored for their 13th win of the season. No. 19 ranked Cal Poly Pomona remains tied for second place in the CCAA standings with an 8-1 conference record, and now have nine straight wins against the Otters dating back to 2019.
- 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.
- Fourth-Quarter Firepower Propels Broncos Past Golden EaglesThe Cal Poly Pomona Broncos rallied back from an early deficit to defeat the Cal State LA Golden Eagles 63-52 in a thrilling women's basketball contest. Despite a strong start from the Golden Eagles, the Broncos found their rhythm and dominated the final quarter to secure the victory.