SPORTSCOPE : Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Team Hopes to Stop 3-Game Skid Against Santa Clara

Only one week ago, the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team was flourishing with a 7-0 record that included four wins over NCAA Division I teams.

But the Broncos have hit difficult times, dropping their last three games to Division I teams on a four-game road swing to Utah.

Pomona, 7-3, hopes to snap its losing streak at home tonight in Poly Pavilion at 7:30 against Santa Clara.

Santa Clara is a Division I squad that has struggled to a 3-4 record and will face a size disadvantage against Pomona. Its tallest starter, center Julie Crampton, is only 6-1. However, the Broncos have won their last two games over Georgia Tech (69-66) and Fresno State (65-56).

Pomona has lost to Utah, 103-70; Brigham Young, 83-71, and Southern Utah State, 79-75. The only win for the Broncos on the road trip was a 66-65 decision over Weber State.

On the bright side, Pomona has continued to receive strong play from 6-2 center Niki Bracken, and 6-1 forward Marcine Edmonds appears to be improving after missing last season because of a knee injury.

Bracken, a senior, leads the Broncos with an average of 21.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. She recently became the school’s all-time scoring leader with 1,841 points, which passed former star Carol Welch, who graduated in 1983 with 1,783 points.

Bracken also is Pomona’s career leader in field goals, field goal attempts and scoring average. She has a 17.9 career average.

Edmonds, a senior, scored a basket with two seconds remaining to give Pomona its 66-65 win over Weber State. She also had her best outing of the season with 27 points and nine rebounds against Southern Utah.

Pomona, which has been juggling its starting lineup in the nonconference season, is expected to open the Santa Clara game with junior Serenda Valdez (5-10) at forward and juniors Carrie Egan (5-8) and Stephanie Coons (5-11) at guard.

Coons is averaging 11.3 points and Pomona has also received good play from freshman reserve forward Danielle Carter (6-2), who averages 10.8 points.

Off to a successful start this season, the Azusa Pacific University men’s basketball team will compete in the Oregon Tech Tournament today through Saturday at Klamath Falls.

Azusa Pacific, 6-3, will face Western Baptist of Oregon in its opener at 6:15 tonight, Oregon Tech at 8:15 p.m. Friday and Northwest Nazarene of Idaho at 6:15 p.m. Saturday.

Oregon Tech won Azusa Pacific’s Cougar Classic last year and the Cougars are hoping to return the favor in the round-robin tournament.

Azusa Pacific scored perhaps its most impressive victory of the season with a 78-60 decision over Chapman last week. Chapman, an NCAA Division II team, entered the game with a 4-1 record.

Azusa Pacific suffered an 82-81 loss to Pomona-Pitzer in its next game.

Azusa Pacific has been led by 6-8 sophomore center Pat McMann, a former standout at Diamond Bar High who is averaging 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds, and 6-6 junior forward Matt Burns, who averages 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds. McMann led his team with 21 points against Pomona-Pitzer and 16 against Chapman.

The Cougars have a good floor leader in 6-2 senior guard Titus Randle, who has passed off for an average of 8.5 assists.

After the tournament, the Cougars will take a week off before playing at home against Malone of Ohio on Dec. 30.

The San Gabriel Valley will be well represented in the high school portion of the 31st annual Sunkist Invitational indoor track meet on Jan. 19 at the L.A. Sports Arena.

Among the top athletes who have accepted invitations are sprinter Inger Miller of Muir in the girls 60-yard dash and Juliana Yendork of Walnut in the girls long jump.

Miller, who led Muir to the girls state CIF championship last season, is regarded as the top girl sprinter in the nation. Yendork, who won the state title in the long and triple jumps last season, is considered the nation’s best in her specialties.

Duarte, Baldwin Park and Pasadena will compete in the 640-yard relay and San Marino in the two-mile relay.

Evan Roderick of Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut has been elected president of the California Community College Assn. of Academic Advisers for Athletes.

Roderick, of West Covina, will serve a two-year term with the group he founded three years ago.