SportsScope : Golden Eagle Women Cagers Bid to Stay in Title Race in Games Today, Saturday

With its first victory of the conference season, the Cal State Los Angeles women’s basketball team could stay close to the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. leaders in games today and Saturday.

The Golden Eagles, 1-1 in the CCAA and 10-8 overall, play host to Cal State Dominguez Hills at 5:45 p.m. today and visit Chapman at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. Dominguez Hills is 1-2 in the CCAA and 5-9 overall. Chapman is 2-1 and 7-9.

Cal Poly Pomona is in first place in the conference at 3-0 and Cal State Northridge is 2-0. But Cal State L.A. has won four of its last five games, including an 89-62 conference victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last week.

Leading the resurgence for the Golden Eagles is the tall front line of center Lupe Quintana and forwards Trisha Maly and Tina Slatinsky, all 6-0.

Maly, a junior, has averaged a team-high 15.8 points since joining the team five games ago; Quintana is averaging 14.7 points and a team-leading 9.9 rebounds and Slatinsky 10.1 points and seven rebounds.

Quintana needs five rebounds against Dominguez Hills to become the conference’s career rebounding leader. A four-year starter, she has 461 rebounds and should surpass all-time leader Vickie Mitchell of Cal Poly Pomona.

Dominguez Hills, led by forward Khyra Anderson (6-2) and guard Devon Akita (5-8), has struggled under first-year Coach Van Girard. Anderson is averaging 9.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.

The Golden Eagles should receive a strong test from Chapman, a 77-62 loser to Pomona last week. Chapman has been paced by guard Corine Sandfry (5-8), who averages 14.6 points, and forward Kim Rieff (6-0).

It was a short stay at the top of the NCAA Division II rankings for the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team.

Despite defeating Chapman, 77-62, and Cal State Dominguez Hills, 83-51, last week the Broncos have dropped from first to fourth in the rankings.

Pomona will take a 14-4 record and 3-0 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. into its conference game against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at 5:45 p.m. Saturday in Kellogg Gym.

Pomona Coach Darlene May said her team has been making steady progress.

“We had some good efforts against both Chapman and Dominguez Hills last week,” May said. “Our overall game is most effective when we play well defensively, and I think we did that for the most part last week.”

The Broncos received outstanding offensive performances from center Niki Bracken (6-2) and point guard Cathy Gooden (5-5), all-conference players who combined for 50 points against Chapman.

Bracken is averaging a team-leading 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds while Gooden averages 15.3 points and 5.9 assists. The Broncos also start Susan Luckinbill (5-9) and Stephanie Coons (5-10) at forward and Carrie Egan (5-8) at guard.

They will face a San Luis Obispo team that has struggled to marks of 8-8 overall and 0-2 in the conference. The Mustangs have been led by All-CCAA guard Jody Hasselfield (5-5), who averages 12.3 points, and forward Deborah Vettel (5-9).

The Cal State Los Angeles baseball team will open its season at USC for a non-conference game at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Dedeaux Field.

After finishing its last California Collegiate Athletic Assn. season at 16-14--its first winning conference record in eight years--Coach John Herbold has high hopes. “but everything has to go right for us.”

The Golden Eagles lost three juniors from last season to the major league baseball draft but have five starters returning from a 25-30 team.

Topping the list are third baseman Brad Mengel, who hit .335 as a junior; outfielder Rex De La Nuez, who hit .325 as a sophomore and had a team-high 44 runs batted in, and senior second baseman Ed Pimental, who hit .322.

The pitching staff figures to be led by junior right-hander Steve McGovern and sophomore left-hander Abdom Pinon.