Cal Poly women open conference with a home win

Rachel Koehler scored six points in the final minutes on Thursday night. By Owen Main

Ariana Elegado scored 19 points and dished-out eight assists to lead Cal Poly to a 70-65 victory over Hawai’i Thursday night in the Big West Conference opener. Elegado looked downright Tony Parker-like, contributing the basket or an assist on nearly every successful Cal Poly possession.

Sophomore Hannah Gilbert dropped-in 18 points and grabbed six rebounds and freshman Dynn Leaupepe for 13 points and six rebounds.

The game was typical of recent games between these two teams. Neither team led by more than 4 points for the first 36-plus minutes of the game.

Briana Harris came off the bench for the Rainbow Wahine to make five 3-pointers en route to 15 points. Ashleigh Karaitiana paced Hawai’i down low with 9 points and 9 rebounds.’

With Cal Poly’s lead cut to two points and 4:06 remaining in the second half, Rachel Koehler scored six straight points in a span of less than two minutes. Koehler had come on for Taryn Garza, who fouled out with over five minutes to play. Up until the bucket at 4:06, Koehler had zero points and four fouls in the game. The sophomore from Montana scored six of Cal Poly’s final eight points to help secure the victory.

After a four-game losing streak in December, the Mustangs are now 2-0 in 2015, 1-0 in conference play, and 6-7 overall this season.

While Cal State Northridge was the overwhelming preseason favorite to win the Big West for the second straight season, Hawai’i and Cal Poly were picked to finish second and third respectively.

The Mustangs will visit Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara for a 2:00 PM game on Saturday in the Thunderdome.

Photos by Owen Main. To purchase photos or view on an iPhone or iPad, click here.