Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team came up empty with the game hanging in the balance and dropped a costly California Collegiate Athletic Association decision Saturday night.
 
The Golden Eagles went scoreless for six minutes late in the game and fell to No. 20 Cal Poly Pomona, 59-49, Saturday in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (11-5, 7-5 CCAA) missed out on a chance to join a first-place logjam in the CCAA and instead finds itself in a tie for sixth-place with Cal State Stanislaus, one game out of the lead.
 
Cal Poly Pomona (11-4, 8-4 CCAA) joins Cal State San Bernardino, Chico State, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Humboldt State in first place.
 
The game was tied for a 12^th time at 47-47 following a 3-pointer by Quinton Watkins with 6:50 to play. The Broncos then scored the eight points over a span of five-and-a-half minutes before a basket by Chris Robinson broke the drought with 40 seconds to play after a steal and layup. Cal Poly Pomona, though, hit two free throws and scored on an offensive rebound off a missed three throw to extend the winning margin to 10 points.
 
Robinson and Watkins had 13 points each for the Golden Eagles, while Ryan Wetherell had eight points. DeRonn Scott had 20 points and seven rebounds to lead all scorers. Mitchel Anderson had 12 points and five rebounds, while Tyquan Brown had 10 points.

Jordan Richard had four points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Cal State L.A.
 
Cal State L.A. shot just 39.6 percent (21-of-53), while Cal Poly Pomona was only slightly better at 40.7 percent (22-of-54). The Golden Eagles, though, were only 3-of-17 from 3-point range, while the Broncos were a more efficient 5-of-13. Cal State L.A. had a 38-33 rebounding edge, but also committed 17 turnovers to just nine for the Broncos.
 
Cal State L.A. attempted only seven free throws, making four, while Cal Poly Pomona was 10-for-18.
 
The game was tight throughout with neither team earning a double-digit lead until the waning seconds. The Broncos held a 24-21 lead after a pair of Scott free throws with 3:40 remaining in the half, but went scoreless for the remainder of the period. Cal State L.A. managed 3-pointer by Watkins during that stretch to tie it by halftime.
 
The Golden Eagles scored the first five points of the second half on a jumper by Robinson and a three-point play by Watkins, but the Broncos responded by scoring the next six points, taking a 30-29 lead on a basket by Brown with 16:20 to play.
 
The Broncos took three-point leads over the next few minutes, only to see the Golden Eagles battle back to even things up. A 3-pointer by Daniel Rodriguez gave the Broncos a 37-34 lead, but a layup by Wetherell eventually tied it at 38-38 with 10 minutes to go.
 
Another 3-pointer by Rodriguez made it 43-40 and a layup by Anderson made it 45-42 for the Broncos. Leland Jones then countered with a basket for Cal State L.A. to make it 45-44 with 7:40 to go, and, after two free throws by Scott, the 3-pointer by Watkins tied it again at 47-47.
 
A jumper by Scott with 6:20 to go put the Broncos ahead for good and Cal Poly Pomona scored on a pair of offensive rebound baskets and two free throws by Scott to forge an eight-point edge with 1:15 left. Robinson's steal and basket kept the Golden Eagles alive at 55-49, but another offensive rebound and basket of a missed free throw put the game away for Cal Poly Pomona.
 
Cal State L.A. will return to action with another home game next Friday against Cal State East Bay.