Broncos Come Up Short in Final Seconds in Rohnert Park
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The Broncos dropped a close game on Saturday night, falling 53-55 to the Sonoma State Seawolves in Rohnert Park. With a 6-9 conference record, the Broncos are now tied with Sonoma State for sixth place in the CCAA standings.
Saturday's game featured an exciting matchup between the two squads, seeing three lead changes in the deciding final two minutes of the game. The Broncos shot well in the first half, going 35 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three-point range. The team has seen a sharp improvement in shooting over the past month, especially beyond the arc, resulting in five wins in their past eight games. Sonoma State also shot 35 percent from the floor while shooting a mere 10 percent from three-point range in the first half, allowing the Broncos to take a 30-24 lead into halftime.
The second half proved to be quite different for CPP, as the team's shooting fell to 25 percent from the field and 0-for-12 beyond the arc. This stall allowed the Seawolves to maintain within striking distance – the Broncos never gaining a lead of more than eight points in the entire game. With 11:58 on the clock, a SSU trey would tie the game up at 36-36.
The two teams would go back and forth for the next nine minutes of play, with the game now remaining tied at 49-49 with 2:35 to go. A good jumper from Michael Ofoegbu, who led the team with 13 points in the game, put the Broncos ahead 51-49. However, Sonoma State immediately responded with a trey from Andrew Henderson to take a 52-51 lead with 1:50 to go. Ofoegbu then hit two free throws, allowing the Broncos to take yet another one-point advantage. And once again, Henderson hit another three at the 0:27 mark to give the Seawolves a 55-53 lead, their final lead of the game.
In a tense final 10 seconds of the game, Malachi Murrell was able to fire off two shots inside the paint to attempt to tie the game, but both shots did not find the net amid heavy defensive pressure.
With the 53-55 loss, the Broncos fall to 7-12 on the season and 6-9 in conference play.
Up Next
The Broncos will host Chico State and Cal Poly Humboldt this coming Thursday and Saturday in Kellogg Arena. The Wildcats sit in second place in the conference with an 11-4 CCAA record, while Humboldt sits in last place with a 1-14 conference record.
Bronco Bits
- The Broncos are now 42-20 (.677) all-time against Sonoma State, including 7-3 in their past 10 games since 2018.
- Head coach Greg Kamansky now owns an all-time coaching record of 449-202 (.690) at Cal Poly Pomona. His next win will be the 450th of his career.
- The Broncos are 237-27 (.897) when allowing less than 60 points in a game during the Kamansky era.
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