Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Cal Poly Pomona outrebounded Southwest Minnesota State 18 to five in the second half and used a late run to earn a 79-74 victory on Wednesday at the NCAA II Elite Eight quarterfinals in Springfield, Mass.
Cal Poly shot 56.8 percent from the field, including 60 percent in the second half. The 79 points was the second highest allowed by SMSU this season and the highest since allowing Winona State 79 points on Jan. 9. CCP's 56.8 percent shooting was the second highest allowed by the Mustangs this season and just the sixth time an opponent has shot over 50 percent from the field.
Senior Andy Beilke led SMSU with a team-high 17 points, including making four three-pointers. Fellow senior Ryan Krome scored 13 points, all in the second half, to round out the double figure scoring for the Mustangs. Krome also had five assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes of action. Mustang senior All-America Ross DeMasi battled foul trouble in the first half and finished the game with just two points and two rebounds. DeMasi entered the game averaging 8.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
SMSU ends its season with a 28-7 record, tying the 2001 team for the most victories in school history. Cal Poly Pomona advances to the semifinals on Thursday, March 26, to play Augusta State (Ga.).
Cal Poly Pomona's Walter Thompson scored 10 straight points in a six minute stretch in the second half to help left the Broncos to the victory.
SMSU, which led 33-29 at halftime and scored the first two points of the second half, saw CPP use its strong offensive rebounding to earn 10 second chance points in the second half, which turned out to be the big difference in the game.
Kevin Andrews hit the first field goal of the second half to give SMSU a 35-29 lead, but Cal Poly rallied with a 9-0 run to take a 38-35 lead two and a half minutes into the second half. Nick Dale finally ended the run with a field goal and just moments later following a free throw by CPP, Dale scored again to tie the game at 39-39.
Cal Poly Pomona continued to click on offense and took its largest lead of the game at 49-43 with 12 minutes remaining. CPP held a 51-45 lead with 10 minutes and 44 seconds remaining before SMSU made another run and trimmed the lead to 53-52 with 7:37 left on a Ryan Krome three-pointers.
SMSU had two chances to regain the lead in the next two minutes but three-point attempts by Krome and Beilke missed the mark and CPP maintained the lead.
Cal Poly's Walter Thompson then drilled a three-pointer to push the lead back to four points with 5:11 remaining, before SMSU's DeAnthony Zanders answered with his own three-pointer to trim the lead to 56-55 with five minutes remaining in the game.
Thompson then capped his 10 point run with a three-pointer at the 4:34 mark to extend the lead to 59-55. CPP's Larry Gordon then completed a three-point play with 2:50 remaining to make the score 64-57, before SMSU scored five straight points to cut the lead to 64-62 with 1:54 remaining. Ross DeMasi started the spurt with two free throws, before Beilke completed a three-point play to cut the lead to two points.
On Cal Poly's ensuing possession, Gordon missed a close in jumper but his teammate, Tobias Jahn grabbed the offensive rebound and scored while being fouled and completed the three-point play to make the score 67-62 with 90 seconds left.
Cal Poly then iced the game away making all 12 free throws in the final one minute and 17 seconds to earn the victory.
Southwest Minnesota State led for much of the game's first six minutes before CPP used a short 6-2 run to build a 14-10 lead at 11:43.
SMSU regained the lead at 19-17 with 7:13 left following a three-point play by DeAnthony Zanders and just moments later Andy Beilke drilled a jumper to push the lead to 21-17 with just under seven minutes left in the half.
The Mustangs maintained the lead for the remainder of the half and took a 33-29 halftime lead. Beilke led SMSU with 11 points, including connecting on three three-pointers. Taylor Huseby chipped in with nine first half points on 4 of 5 shooting.
SMSU shot 52 percent in the opening half, while CPP also was red-hot shooting 52.6 percent.
It was another balanced scoring attack for the Mustangs. Huseby, Zanders and Scott Roehl all scored nine points, while Nick Dale added eight points.
It was the final game for Mustang seniors Andy Beilke, Ryan Krome and Ross DeMasi. Krome finished his career playing in a school record 123 games.
