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LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s men's basketball team picked up its biggest win of the season Saturday at a most opportune time.
 
The Golden Eagles shot a sizzling 61.9 percent in the second half against Cal Poly Pomona's nationally-ranked defense and held on for a 58-56 win over the Broncos in the Eagles Nest. Cal State L.A. (7-7, 5-5 CCAA) came up with the big victory just one night after a disappointing loss to UC San Diego.
 
On this night, though, the Golden Eagles used a smothering defense – holding Cal Poly Pomona to just 29 percent shooting in the second half – and a dynamic game from guard LaBradford Franklin to beat the Broncos in Los Angeles for the first time since Dec. 4, 2010.
 
It was the first signature win for first-year coach Dieter Horton, who beat the conference favorites in his first meeting against the Broncos.
 
Franklin was superb as he poured in a game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He knocked down 4-of-5 attempts from behind the 3-point arc and frustrated Cal Poly Pomona guards who struggled to contain him. David Hall also had a strong game with 12 points for the Golden Eagles.
 
Jordan Faison had 16 points and five rebounds for Cal Poly Pomona (11-4, 7-3 CCAA), while Terrence Drisdom had 12 points and five rebounds.
 
Joel Brokenbrough had nine points and four rebounds for the Golden Eagles, while Andre McPhail returned from injury and had eight big points and some solid defense in 15 minutes of work against Cal Poly Pomona's talented big men.
 
Cal State L.A. shot 48.9 percent for the game (22-of-45) and really got its offense untracked in the second half, hitting 13-of-21 field-goal attempts while patiently executing its offense. Cal Poly Pomona shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49).
 
The offensive execution was a tale of two halves. Cal Poly Pomona shot 61.1 percent in the first half and Cal State L.A. just 37.5 percent while the Broncos built a 29-24 lead. Cal State L.A. shot 61.9 percent in the second half, while holding Cal Poly Pomona to just 29 percent.
 
The Golden Eagles were better at the free-throw line than they were on Friday, hitting 10-fo-16, but a pair of missed free throws on the front end of 1-and-1s in the waning seconds gave Cal Poly Pomona a chance to steal the win. The Golden Eagles' defense, though, made sure that wouldn't happen.
 
Cal State L.A. won despite being out-rebounded, 35-24. Cal Poly Pomona committed 17 turnovers to 16 for the Golden Eagles.
 
Cal State L.A. held its biggest lead at 12 points twice, at 55-43 after Franklin hit a pair of free throws following a Cal Poly Pomona technical foul with 5:52 left and at 57-45 after a jumper by Franklin with 5:19 remaining.
 
The Golden Eagles managed only one point the rest of the way – a free throw by Franklin with 30 seconds to go that made it 58-56. Cal Poly Pomona then missed a potential go-ahead 3-point attempt, got the rebound and missed again before Dushon Carter grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 15 seconds to go. Again, Cal State L.A.'s defense forced a contested missed layup and a contested missed tip before Aaron Alston grabbed the rebound just before time ran out. Alston missed a free throw and time expired..
 
Cal State L.A. struggled against Cal Poly Pomona's defense in the first half, but stayed close thanks to its own solid defense. The Golden Eagles trailed by as many as nine points in the first half before slicing the deficit to 29-24 at halftime.
 
Cal State L.A. still trailed by five points with 14 minutes left, 37-32, before embarking on a game-deciding 17-2 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Franklin, a crowd-pleasing dunk by David Hall and a three-point play by McPhail that made it 49-39 with nine minutes remaining.
 
Cal State L.A. still held a 12-point lead after Franklin's basket with 5:19 that was the Golden Eagles' final bucket of the game. It was just enough for the big win.

Cal State L.A. will return to action on Friday with a road game at Sonoma State.