Changing of the Guard for Women

The significance might be lost on Cal State San Bernardino, and the innocence might be lost for Cal Poly Pomona, but things have changed in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. women’s basketball.

That’s because San Bernardino (25-3) won the CCAA tournament last weekend to become the first team other than Cal Poly Pomona to do so. Pomona won the previous nine CCAA tournaments and has had a share in every regular-season title since the conference formed in 1981.

How significant was it to San Bernardino?

“Five more games is what it means,” said San Bernardino guard Tammy Beckley. “Five more games to win the national championship.”

The Coyotes talk as good a game as they play--and they have played hard and mean the past two seasons.

They have a bit of a bad boy--make that bad girl --image. One that is not all undeserved.

A year ago in the CCAA tournament final, their play was so physical and taunts so upsetting that Pomona refused to shake their hands after the game. This year, there were reports that several of the San Bernardino players sat in the stands and taunted Pomona while the Broncos were losing to Dominguez Hills.

But the rest of the CCAA need not like them to know that they earned their title. Coach Luvina Beckley runs a strong program that does not back down from any challenge.

This season, Pomona and San Bernardino tied for the regular season title. Pomona lost in the first round of the CCAA tournament to Cal State Dominguez Hills--a team that was 0-30 against the Broncos. San Bernardino won its first-round game against UC Riverside and then beat Dominguez Hills Saturday night for the title.

The victory gave the Coyotes an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II playoffs that start tonight. By virtue of that automatic bid, San Bernardino will have a bye and then play the winner of UC Davis and Pomona, who will play at Pomona at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

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Riverside won the men’s CCAA tournament by beating Bakersfield, 73-68, Saturday.

Although Riverside won the regular-season conference title, the Highlanders (21-6) were still ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division II West Region behind Bakersfield. So Riverside needed to win the tournament to be guaranteed a spot in the NCAA playoffs. As it turned out, both teams will have a first-round bye in the NCAA playoffs that start tonight.

Chances are that the teams will meet next Saturday night in the regional final at Riverside. Both will play first-round winners on Friday.

“I’m sure that’s on everybody’s minds,” Riverside Coach John Masi said. “But we have to win Friday night first. Any time Riverside and Bakersfield play, there will be a lot of intensity, but Friday night our motivation will be that a loss will eliminate us.”

Bakersfield’s higher ranking wasn’t too surprising because the Roadrunners had a better record (22-6) than Riverside (21-6) and returned all five starters from last year’s undefeated national championship team.

But this is a different Bakersfield team, a team that has probably gotten a little fat off the success of its program. Last season, all of the breaks went the Roadrunners’ way; this season, they aren’t. The prestige of being national champions also has made a bigger target out of Bakersfield.

Most of all, other teams have done their homework and have been able to slow Bakersfield’s offense.

The shadow of last season’s 33-0 team is so big that many forget that 22-6 is a peak year for most programs. Bakersfield still plays great defense and point guard Tyrone Davis still has the ability to take over a game.

We should see a CCAA rematch Saturday night at the UC Riverside Student Recreation Center, where the Highlanders are 3-0.

“I think it’s a bit premature to say that we are establishing a home-court advantage there after only three games,” Masi said. “Don’t forget, Bakersfield has played three games there, too.”

True, but two were losses to Riverside.

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The Cal Lutheran men’s basketball team advanced to the final 16 of the NCAA Division III playoffs.

They will play Greensboro College of Pride, N.C., Friday at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

It is the second time in the past three years that the Kingsmen have advanced to the sectionals. Cal Lutheran is 25-2 and ranked first in the NCAA West Region. The Kingsmen were also co-champions with Pomona-Pitzer in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Assn.

Cal Lutheran had a first-round bye and beat UC San Diego, 95-81, in the second round. Pomona-Pitzer lost in the first round to UC San Diego, 67-66.

College Division Notes

Azusa Pacific is on track advance to the NAIA tournament in Tulsa, Okla., March 15-21. Azusa Pacific (28-3) will play Westmont (17-12) in the final of the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament at 7:30 p.m. at Whittier College. The winner will advance to the NAIA tournament.

Azusa Pacific’s men’s track team finished second at the NAIA Indoor Championship meet in Kansas City. It was the seventh time in eight years the Cougars have finished second. Central State (Ohio) won for the second consecutive year. Azusa Pacific’s women finished sixth.

Bill Dobson has been hired by Redlands as an assistant football coach and recruiting coordinator. He replaces Ken Hoza, who left in January to take over Whittier’s football program.