SportsScope : Cal Poly Women Cagers, With Three Division I Wins, Face Two Tests in Division II

After winning three straight games against NCAA Division I opponents, the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team will drop back to Division II in visits to Sacramento State and UC Davis in non-conference games this weekend.

The Broncos, 4-1 after finishing second in Division II last year, face Sacramento (4-2) at 6 p.m. Friday and Davis (2-5) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Pomona Coach Darlene May isn’t taking the opponents lightly because the Broncos need victories to strengthen their Division II playoff hopes.

“Because they are Division II games, we have to win. We should be OK. Sacramento State has a pretty good team. We’re concerned with them because they are better than they were last year and they have a strong center.”

The Hornets are led by 6-2 center Kim Beal and they have another strong front-line player in forward Tevani Scott (5-10). Davis also has a good center in 6-1 senior Staci Stevens, who averages 18.5 points and 8 rebounds.

But the Broncos are not hurting with their inside game, either. Pomona has been led inside by 6-2 sophomore center Niki Bracken, who averages 18.6 points and 7.8 rebounds, and 6-1 junior forward Marcine Edmonds, who averages 14.8 points and 5 rebounds.

Pomona has also received strong play from junior guard Cathy Gooden (5-5), who averages 18.6 points, and senior guard Paula Tezak (5-8), a good floor leader who averages 9 assists and 6.8 rebounds.

About the only problem for the Broncos has been their free-throw shooting, which has slipped to 51.6%. “It’s got me puzzled,” May said. “I don’t understand it. I don’t know whether we should practice our free throws or back off and practice them less.”

The Cal State Los Angeles women’s’ basketball team will play host to Chico State at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Golden Eagles have been led by 6-0 junior center Lupe Quintana, who averages 17.3 points and 13.5 rebounds. Quintana is ninth on the school’s all-time rebounding list with 642 and 13th in scoring with 578 points.

Two other standouts in Cal State’s talented front line are forwards Tina Slatinsky (6-0) and Sue Doody (5-10). Slatinsky averages 13.5 points and 7 rebounds and Doody 13 points and 6.2 rebounds.

The Golden Eagles will be trying to rebound from a disappointing performance at the West Texas State Lady Buff Tournament last week. Cal State finished sixth, dropping a 75-70 decision to Northwest Missouri State in the consolation game despite 25 points and 18 rebounds from Quintana.

After the Chico game the Golden Eagles will be idle until Dec. 29 when they meet Adams State of Colorado in the first round of the Color Country Classic at Southern Utah State in Cedar City.

The University of La Verne and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, which tied for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, have each placed three players on the National Soccer Coaches Assn. All-West first-team for NCAA Division III.

La Verne, which finished with a 13-5-2 record, placed goaltender John Rohkohl, fullback Joseph Cropper and midfielder Rodlee Wright on the first team and Claremont landed fullback Matthew Kinney and forwards R. J. Romero and Hong Chang. Pomona-Pitzer also placed midfielder Harry Oei and forward John Leusner on the team.

In addition, La Verne landed forward Kevin Speer on the second team and Claremont added fullback Dean Miller.

In higher divisions, Cal State Los Angeles placed fullback Steve Sengelmann and midfielder Mike Gregorian to the Division I second team and Cal Poly Pomona landed forward Johnny Lima to the Division II second team.

Lima, a junior, finished second in scoring in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. with 37 points on 14 goals and 9 assists. Gregorian led Cal State L.A. in scoring with 22 points on 9 goals and 4 assists.

Sengelmann has competed in three U.S. Olympic Festival tournaments and played for the U.S. in the 1986 World University Games in Japan.

The Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team will try to climb above the .500 mark when it visits UC Davis and Sacramento State in non-conference games this weekend.

The Broncos, who have lost their last two games to NCAA Division I opponents Cal State Long Beach and San Diego State, enter the games at 2-2 overall. Davis is 4-3 and Sacramento State is 7-2.

Pomona should benefit from the return of All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. guard Bill Dobbs (6-2), who averaged 14.7 points last season but has not competed because he has only one quarter of NCAA eligibility remaining.

The Broncos have been led by 6-7 senior center Tony Thiesen, who averages 18 points and 9.3 rebounds and has made 71% of his field-goal attempts. “Tony has very much been a pleasant surprise for us,” Coach Dave Bollwinkel said. “Six months ago, I wouldn’t have thought we’d be getting the statistical production that we are getting from him.”

Two other standouts have been forward Terry Stevens, who averages 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, and guard Nate Macon, a reserve who has averaged 15.5 points.