Over 2,000 fans showed-up to Mott Athletics Center on Saturday afternoon. By Owen Main

They didn’t break the attendance record, but Faith Mimnaugh’s Cal Poly women’s basketball team won the prize they valued most on Saturday, beating defending conference champion Cal State Northridge 63-54 in front of 2,047 fans. The crowd was the second-largest showing in the history of the program.

Ariana Elegado led Cal Poly, tallying 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals, while playing 39 minutes.

Cal Poly got out to a 30-17 lead in the first half before CSUN cut the deficit to six at halftime. The Matadors continued their charge with a 21-4 run that straddled both halves to take a four point lead.

The lead didn’t last long though. Beth Balbierz answered with a three-pointer, Elegado a jumper, and Mary Kate Evans a three-pointer of her own to spur a 15-0 Mustang run, as Cal Poly once again built-up a double digit lead.

Cal Poly lost to the Matadors all three times they faced off a year ago, including in the Big West Tournament final. As Elegado detailed in the video below, revenge was definitely a motivating factor in this game.

Kristen Ale was the only other Mustang in double figures with 10 points to go along with six rebounds. Hannah Gilbert led the team in rebounds with seven while playing the game with strep throat.

Cal Poly is now 8-8 overall and 3-1 in Big West play, where they sit tied for second place behind Long Beach State. CSUN, the preseason conference favorite, drops to 2-2 in conference play.

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

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.

Ariana Elegado didn’t score in the first half, but managed eight points in the game. By Owen Main

In a hotly-contested game that saw the lead change eight times in the second half, Pepperdine beat Cal Poly, 76-69. Down by as many as 15 in the first half, Cal Poly clawed-back and took the lead in the second half. The lead changed hands on seemingly every possession until Pepperdine found buckets down the stretch, made their free throws, and outlasted the Mustangs over the last five minutes or so.

Cal Poly is a young team that is probably going to be prone to some mistakes, especially early-on this year. For example, the team committed 23 turnovers in Tuesday’s game.

But Cal Poly is going to need newcomers Lisa Marie Sanchez, Dynn Leaupepe, and Lynn Leaupepe to play big roles all season alongside sophomore Hannah Gilbert and so they’ll all have to be patient while everyone finds their comfort level for this season.

What I liked

There were lots of bright spots and things to really like if you’re a Cal Poly fan. First of all, the Leaupepe twins are everything they were cracked up to be. They are aggressive, savvy players that do not always look like freshmen. Dynn, who started the game, finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Her sister, Lynn, came off the bench to score 7 points and pull down 8 rebounds.

Sarah Lipton was another bright spot off the bench. She scored five points in the first half and played good defense at the 4 in the second half. Like Gilbert and the newcomers, Lipton is working to find her role. It may take some time, but the minutes off the bench on Tuesday were mostly quality ones from the sophomore.

Gilbert is another sophomore who continues to show promise. While she and the rest of her teammates missed their fair share of inside shots in the game, Gilbert is able to easily sky over other players for rebounds. She’ll get better as the season goes on at picking her spots on the offensive end. She’s a player who should shoot above 50 percent from the floor. As the season wears on, she’ll work her way into being more comfortable with starting minutes.

Kristin Ale is showing this year that she is a lot more than just a spot-up shooter. By Owen Main

What they’re still working on

Dynn and Lynn are both capable of putting the ball on the ground and finishing around the hoop in one-on-one situations. There were at least three such plays in this game that kept the Mustangs close. Unfortunately, once they do that once or twice, help comes quickly at this level. Both players are still figuring out how and when to curb their drives. Cal Poly has open three-point specialists like Kristin Ale, Elegado, and Beth Balbierz. As the season goes on, look for all the wing players on the team to drive with their head up a little more and find their open teammates.

Another silver lining from Tuesday’s game is that Elegado had zero points in the first half and Cal Poly was still able to cut into Pepperdine’s big lead. While Elegado didn’t score a ton, she did push the tempo. The senior managed eight points in the second half, but getting her on the board should always be an early indicator for how the Mustangs will play.

Tempo

In case you didn’t notice, Cal Poly pushes the tempo. Hard. They took 79 shots in the game, but only made 35 percent of them. As the season progresses, look for percentages to go up some. That being said, the Cal Poly women’s style is much different than the men. They can live with 15 turnovers if they’re generally pushing the tempo and getting shots they want.

On Tuesday, Pepperdine took far fewer shots, but got to the free throw line 34 times compared to Cal Poly’s 13. That’s a big discrepancy, especially for a home team who was taking the ball to the basket a lot.

Richardson has a night

Guard Bria Richardson scored 29 points for Pepperdine. She shot the ball 24 times to get there and shot 6-8 from the free throw line. Her mid-range and slashing game was really really good. She has the kind of quickness that is rare at this level of college basketball. Add to that her length — just enough to get good shots over other guards — and you have a recipe for a player who will put up a lot of points this season if she wants.

ShareSLO Tournament

Cal Poly will host the Cal Poly/ShareSLO Holiday Tournament Friday and Saturday at Mott Athletics Center. They will play Ivy League team Dartmouth on Friday, followed by Texas A&M, Corpus Christi on Saturday. Both games are at 5:00 PM and admission is free.

Hannah Gilbert had career highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds. By Owen Main

On Saturday afternoon at Mott Athletics Center, Cal Poly women’s basketball used a surge late in the first half to erase most of a 14-point deficit and kept the momentum going into the second half to beat Portland 76-67 in their home opener.

Ariana Elegado led the Mustangs’ attack with 19 points and five assists. Sophomore center Hannah Gilbert notched career-high totals of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Gilbert, who hails from Morro Bay High School, has taken the place of departed Big West Player of the Year winner Molly Schlemer in this year’s lineup.

Senior Kristin Ale, who looked a step quicker and a bit more aggressive on the offensive end than she did a season ago, also tallied 16 points in the game.

The early 14-point deficit came on the heels of a 15-4 Portland run during which Cal Poly missed 12 of 14 shots and four straight free throws. Eventually the Mustangs

The first half was one of the slowest halves I’ve seen. In it, Cal Poly drew 7 offensive fouls from Portland and the officials called 27 fouls. Once the game settled down and got some flow in the second half, Cal Poly was able to take control. With Elegado pushing the ball, freshman sisters Lynn and Dynn Leaupepe played strong defense and got out on the break.

Gilbert used her speed as well to beat her post counterparts down the court, setting-up Cal Poly’s wing players to get open for shots and drives.

Cal Poly, which plays four games at home this week is now 2-1 on the season. The Mustangs host Pepperdine on Tuesday at 7:00. On Friday and Saturday, the Mustangs will host Dartmouth and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Those games will start at 5:00 pm.

Photos by Owen Main

To view on iPhone or iPad, click here.

Over the past six years, Faith Mimnaugh has had the best run of her nearly 20 years as Cal Poly’s head coach. By Owen Main

It’s safe to say Faith Mimnaugh and Cal Poly women’s basketball have had a good run over the past six years. With players like Kristina Santiago, Rachel Clancy, Molly Schlemer, Jonae Ervin, and Arianna Elegado, the Mustangs have had six straight winning seasons. Those years included four straight Big West Conference Players of the year, three conference championships, one Big West Tournament championship, three trips to the WNIT, and the program’s first birth into the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, the Mustangs lost Schlemer, but got some positive news when the already-graduated Elegado announced she’d return for her final season of eligibility as a Mustang.

In this podcast, Mimnaugh discusses her reaction when she found out in August that Elegado was coming back. We also discussed the makeup of the team, renovations to Mott Athletic Center, and what style of play we might see out of the Mustangs this season.

Jonae Ervin can flat-out play. By Owen Main

Jonae, Jonae, Jonae.

Last week, Cal Poly’s senior point guard, Jonae Ervin, dropped 37 & 10 in a come from behind win over a team Coach Faith said should have been picked to finish first in Big West Conference Play? Good Lord girl! Put some water on that hot sauce!

What a week.

A few days later, the 5’3” guard weaved her 391^st career dime to surpass Laura Buehnin as the all time assists leader in Lady Mustang history. She clearly can do it all: third in points, first in assists, third in rebounds & first in steals. My only question is, do the Lady Mustangs have the depth to get themselves back to March’s big bracket?

I think they might.

Reigning Big West Player of the Year, Molly Schemer, has been dominant again this year. Averaging 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, Schlemer balances the outside attack of the small but speedy Ervin alongside Ariana Elegado. Elegado, anything but shy, is a guard who is willing to hoist and hoist until she catches fire. This less-than-bashful approach to her game (currently leading the team in shot attempts per game at 15.9) is a double edged sword, though she averages 16.5 points per game. Her and Ervin both shoot about 38 percent from the floor, but it’s their aggression that put teams out of position and on their heels. That’s when Schlemer, who shoots 57 percent from the floor, steps in.

Along with seniors Ervin and Schlemer, junior Ariana Elegado gives the Mustangs three players who can drop 30 points on a given night. By Owen Main

On to the role players.

It’s easy to see the firepower in the Mustangs’ Big Three, but I asked our own Mustang aficionado, Owen Main. He said that key role players include Taryn Garza, Kristen Ale, and Maddison Allen. Ale, a junior from Carson, CA is second only to Ervin in three-point shooting percentage, opening-up the floor for her teammates.

Garza, a scrappy forward, averages just six points per game, but is second on the team in rebounds per game (5.8) and provided the most-clutch moment of the season, scoring on a putback at the buzzer to send the Mustangs’ game last Wednesday vs. Hawai’i into overtime.

Allen is a remarkable athlete. Left-handed and long, the 6’4″ redshirt freshman from Australia is probably the team’s best defender, blocking over a shot per game.

Nwamaka Ofodu, another senior guard, has stepped in to a starting role recently and gets some minutes as a defensive stopper in the back court as well. These players, plus freshmen Hannah Gilbert (6′ 3″, Morro Bay High School), Sarah Lipton, and Rachel Koehler add a layered dimension to a team that could be better than last year’s squad that won the Big West Tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Main points to the continued dominance of Schlemer and the balanced guard play of Elegado and Ervin as the biggest reasons this year he’s bought in to the concept of a return to the dance.

If the defense chooses to sag on the reigning Big West Conference Player of the Year (Molly Schlemer), Cal Poly can put 3-4 shooters around the perimeter, including supersub Kristen Ale. By Owen Main

“They have so many weapons,” said Main. “You can double-team Schlemer in the post, but then Elegado, Ervin, Ale, and the others will kill you. If you don’t double Molly, she’s going to do something like score 37 points. Opponents really have to pick their poison and hope that whoever they leave open has a bad shooting night.”

I have a strong desire for Mustang glory. As a proud alumnus, I would more than love to see either the men or women’s basketball teams crowned champion in March. And while the majority of you might think I’m absolutely crazy (I am), I’m not stupid. I love the George Masons, VCU’s, St. Mary’s’ and Gonzagas of the world who prove that small schools can create a large legacy. Some mid-majors have shown they can compete at the highest of levels — yes, even in the Madness of the March bracket. All it takes are the few things happening lately in Mustang country: success, great coaching, a beautiful college town and setting, and great individual performances. The lady Mustangs have crowned four straight Big West Players of the Year. That really says something. And San Luis Obispo, as always, is heaven on earth.

Since I started watching them a few years ago, one thing has always been the case about Faith Mimnaugh’s Cal Poly women’s basketball team — almost every game is really entertaining to watch.

Last night, Mimnaugh’s team played at their usual high-tempo, besting the San Francisco Dons 76-65.

The game featured last year’s Big West Conference player of the year, Molly Schlemer, who poured-in 18 second-half points and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jonae Ervin and Ariana Elegado also had really good games, proving why Cal Poly should probably be the favorite to win the conference again this season.

It was the first time I’ve seen Mimnaugh’s team in-person this year, so here are some keys to the game and some generalizations I’m willing to make after game-eight of the 2013-14 season.

Along with Jonae Ervin, Ariana Elegado (pictured) is really skilled at driving to the basket. By Owen Main

Depth

This team seems really deep. They bring in two athletic players who are above six feet tall off the bench. Freshmen Maddison Allen (6’4″ – Brisbane, Australia) and Hannah Gilbert (6′ 3″ – Morro Bay, CA) coming into the game together means that Cal Poly can take their starting front-court, which includes the 6′ 5″ Schlemer, out of the game and get bigger overall on their front line.

Gilbert and Allen both move really well for post players and seem to play really solid defense. Gilbert seems to have a decently-polished offensive game, too, meaning that the Mustangs have four post players who can really dominate at least one end of the floor at any given time.

Last night, in a close game, Cal Poly played 11 players, nine of whom played double-digit minutes. When you play with the pace this team does, you need depth and depth is definitely something they have.

Shooting

Guards Jonae Ervin and Ariana Elegado have proven over the past few years that they can score as effectively as Schlemer on any given night. To compliment their drives and Schlemer’s post presence, Cal Poly has a number of players they can spot-up around the perimeter. Junior Kristen Ale and sophomore Beth Balbierz seem to always be open with all the attention Schlemer, Ervin, and Elegado draw collectively.

Lefties

This team sometimes plays three left-handed players at the same time. Allen, Balbierz and Ale are all southpaws (am I missing anyone?), providing a little different look for opposing defenders.

The “Big 3”

Whoever is in the game throughout the first 30 minutes, you know seniors Schlemer and Ervin along with Elegado — a junior — will be in the thick of things at the end. Last night, they collectively racked-up 44 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists. Together, they are the main reason why Cal Poly should be a strong contender to win the Big West regular season title for third time in four years en route to the Big West Conference Tournament, where they’ll contend for back-to-back titles this season.

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

Cal Poly head coach Faith Mimnaugh seemed to join her team in a defensive stance during every possession on Saturday. by Owen Main

On every glance at the Cal Poly bench, coach Faith Mimnaugh was either giving an order to her team, pumping her fist, or in what looked like a defensive stance.

When the final horn sounded Saturday afternoon at the Honda Center, Mimnaugh’s intensity turned to tears and smiles after the Mustangs came out on top of Pacific 63-49 to win the Big West Tournament Championship.

The game was one that Pacific, the regular season champs, could never quite get their arms around. Each time it looked like they had Cal Poly on their heels, the Mustangs got a bucket. Just when it seemed a Cal Poly player was trapped, the double-team would be split, or the Cal Poly player would draw a foul. It was a matter of one team matching the other’s aggression and welcoming the physicality that was sure to come.

Pacific played as hard as they could, generally kept the ball out of Molly Schlemer’s hands, and executed a good game plan. In the the final analysis, though things just didn’t go their way (the same can be said of the Cal Poly men’s team, who lost to Pacific the previous night in the tournament semifinal). Instead, in her 16th season at the helm for Cal Poly, Mimnaugh got her first Big West tournament title. Next week, Cal Poly will go to its first NCAA Tournament since the program moved to Division I.

Mimnaugh reflected after the game on what it took to get the Mustangs to this place. When she started, the coaching staff included just her and one other volunteer coach who also had a job as a sorority house mother to help pay the bills.

“To go from [a] place, where we were two people running this thing, to build the program to this level, it’s just, it’s a lot of work. More than I thought it’d take,” said Mimnaugh after the game. “I think when you’ve been doing it as long as I have and you keep dreaming and you keep pushing and kind of wondering if it was ever going to happen, that’s where the real satisfaction comes in for me.”

Molly Schelemer lets out a Shaq-like scream of joy after a basket late in the Big West Championship game. Schlemer averaged 16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in the tournament. By Owen Main

To get to the game Mimnaugh’s team beat UCSB in the semifinals on Friday afternoon, setting-up a rematch with Pacific. UCSB did all they could to challenge the inside presence of Molly Schlemer, but couldn’t find an answer as Schlemer, the Big West Player of the Year, scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

In the championship game, Schlemer’s presence continued to be felt. Double and triple-teamed from the beginning, Schlemer managed only 7 points in the final but managed to gather 16 rebounds, crucial after senior Kayla Griffin went down with a season — and career — ending injury.

While Pacific shut-down Schlemer’s offense, Ariana Elegado made the Tigers pay, scoring 22 points including three 3-pointers. Seniors Caroline Reeves and Nikol Allison stepped in and each scored 10 points as Pacific dared Cal Poly to beat them with someone other than Schlemer or the injured Griffin.

Cal Poly’s defense, a much-improved part of their game this season, held Pacific to 20-61 shooting in the game (32.8%).

Last year was supposed to be the year for Cal Poly. The tournament draw seemed just right, Kristina Santiago was healthy, and all signs pointed to Cal Poly as the tournament favorite. Instead, they didn’t even make the finals, bounced in their first game by an intrepid Long Beach State squad. The loss seemed crushing for a team that was losing a player who was clearly the best in the Big West.

Seniors Nikol Allison (13) and Caroline Reeves (22) had big contributions in Cal Poly’s first-ever Big West Tournament Championship. By Owen Main

Enter this year’s less-heralded bunch. Last season guard Jonae Ervin led the country in Assist-Turnover Ratio, but she was injured coming into the season and there were a fair number of questions marks. Ervin eventually made it back and those question marks were answered by break-out performances.

This year’s team has played better defense and has had break-out performances by Schlemer, a junior, and Ariana Elegado, a talented sophomore guard. While Schlemer earned Tournament MVP honors (16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in the tournament), Elegado also was named to the all-tournament team. It was a fitting way to cap a season where Elegado has been asked to play both point guard and off-guard and be a source of points throughout the year.

The defensive stance by coach Faith Mimnaugh broke only once all game, when senior forward Kayla Griffin, a team leader and Cal Poly’s only player to start every game this season, tore two ligaments in her knee while chasing down a loose ball. Griffin collapsed on the baseline in front of the Cal Poly bench and, while Pacific went the other way, scoring a bucket about 10 seconds later, Mimnaugh’s total attention was on the senior forward, consoling her until the referees finally blew their whistle so that medical staff could attend to Griffin.

“That’s just the type of lady Coach Faith is,” said Schlemer. “She cares about us as human beings, not just her players… . I wasn’t surprised at all. It’s just the kind of thing she does and it’s amazing.”

In a year where a team finally found their identity, a coach not caring about what was going on on the floor may have been all you need to know about this year’s Big West Tournament champs.

See more photos of the championship game and celebration on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fansmanship .

Some video is now also up at www.youtube.com/fansmanship.

The Cal Poly women’s basketball team seems to once again be on their way toward a top-4 seed in the Big West Tournament. Faith Mimnaugh’s team took apart UC Riverside two nights after doing the same to Cal State Fullerton. The Cal Poly ladies are, like the men’s team, undefeated in conference at home.

Photos by David Livingston

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Jonae Ervin and the Mustangs seem headed in the right direction, but the player whose numbers may matter the most is not a guard. By Owen Main

Cal Poly’s Molly Schlemer has earned Big West Player of the Week honors for her performances in Cal Poly’s Big West home sweep last weekend. Schlemer, a Santa Maria native, led the Mustangs to a pair of wins by a total of three points and the Mustangs improved to 3-1 in conference play. In sweeping UC Davis and Pacific over the weekend, Schlemer scored 40 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.

Faith Mimnaugh’s two-time defending regular season championship team continues to be nothing if not interesting. Their run-and-gun style of play features two point guards on the floor at any time, usually four players who can shoot 3-pointers, and Schlemer who, at 6’5″, is one of the tallest and strongest players in the conference. No lead or deficit seems safe with this bunch.

On Thursday night, Cal Poly gave up a nine-point first half lead before holding on to win the game by two points behind Brittany Woodard’s career-high 21 points. On Saturday, Cal Poly eeked out a triple-overtime thriller at Mott Gym that saw four players foul-out, including Schlemer. Three players, Cal Poly’s Kayla Griffin and Pacific’s Kendall Rodriguez and Erica McKenzie played at least 50 minutes in the game. Cal Poly’s Jonae Ervin, last year’s national leader in assist to turnover ratio, sank two free throws with 8 seconds left in the third overtime to seal the victory.

What remains interesting is Mimnaugh’s tinkering with the Mustangs’ lineup. After a hot start to the season, Schlemer didn’t even start the game on Thursday, instead being used as a substitute. Schlemer has played limited minutes in conference despite being dominant at times. She has played 13, 14, 15, and 28 minutes. The only game the Mustangs lost was the only game Schlemer didn’t score in double-figures. As much as Mimnaugh loves guard play, the Mustangs’ bellwether in conference play this year may be Schlemer.

For last weekend, at least, that was fine for the home fans and home team at Mott Gym.

Photos by Owen Main

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