Cal Poly moves into sole possession of third place in Big West women’s basketball

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Just as they've done all season, senior forward Natalia Ackerman and junior guard Annika Shah led Cal Poly women's basketball Saturday to a dominant 74-56 road win over Cal State Bakersfield to move into sole possession of third place in the Big West standings.

Ackerman recorded her 11th double-double of the season and fourth in a row after leading the Mustangs (16-11, 12-6 BW) with 20 points on 9-11 shooting ,11 rebounds and four blocks. Shah was right behind her with 18 points and three assists on 6-10 shooting, including knocking down four threes.

Cal Poly dominated the rebounding battle, outrebounding the Roadrunners 37-23, including 12-3 on the offensive glass.

After a low scoring first quarter in which the Mustangs trailed 14-10, Cal Poly couldn't have asked for a better second quarter. Cal Poly outscored Cal State Bakersfield 24-4 in the quarter which included holding the Roadrunners without a point the first seven minutes as the Mustangs took a 34-18 lead into halftime.

It was the second time this year the Mustangs have held an opponent to four points in a quarter.

Cal Poly didn't let up in the third, holding onto to their 16-point lead heading into the fourth.

In the fourth, the Roadrunners got it back to within 12 but were never able to crack any closer as the Mustangs ran away with it.

As of Saturday afternoon, Cal Poly sits in sole possession of third place in the Big West standings with two regular season games left to play next week. The top four teams receive a first-round bye in the Big West Championship.

The Mustangs will wrap up the regular season with two home games next week. They will host second place UC Irvine Thursday at 6 p.m. followed by UC San Diego Saturday at 2 p.m. in the finale.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).