Mustangs’ pace is key as they split final two non-conference games

Cal Poly split their two games leading up to Christmas. By Owen Main

Cal Poly women’s basketball hosted the University of San Francisco Dons on Monday night. After USF lost recently by over 40 points to Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly got behind early and could not come back, losing 71-67.

On Thursday night, the Mustangs beat Loyola Marymount at Mott Gym 84-71, completing the per-conference portion of their schedule with a 6-5 record.

With a pair of fast, small point guards leading the way, Cal Poly is much more successful at a fast pace. Games in the high 70’s and 80’s are what coach Faith Mimnaugh wants. Now that Jonae Ervin is rounding back into form, she and Ariana Elegado are playing a lot together, pushing the already-torrid pace that the Mustangs prefer.

Two things I’ll watch for as the conference season begins are whether Cal Poly can continue to play fast-paced enough to score 75-plus points per game and how center Molly Schlemer fits-in to the fast-paced offense Mimnaugh so-clearly wants to maintain. In the loss to San Francisco, Schlemer played just 17 minutes, but still managed to score 13 points on 6-6 from the field.

In the win vs. LMU, Schlemer was back in the starting lineup, netting a double-double (14 points and 11 rebounds) and the Mustangs were able to score 84 points in the win.

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