POMONA, Calif. — The Cal State Monterey Bay women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with defending West Region champ Cal Poly Pomona for 31 minutes, but a Bronco parade to the free-throw line proved too much to overcome as Cal Poly pulled away late for an 87-72 win.

The 72 points scored by the Otters were their most in nearly a month, but a 16-4 foul count against them in the second half took away any chance at making their play for three-quarters of the game add up to a win. That allowed the Broncos to out-score them 20-2 from the line in the final 20 minutes as they overcame CSUMB's 38-37 halftime lead.

Senior guard Jenna Bandy (Thousand Oaks HS) scored 21 points against Cal Poly for the second time this season. Sophomore forward McKenna Hill (Ventura/St. Bonaventure HS) added 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Cal Poly responded by throwing three Division post players at the Otters. USF transfer Mary Williams came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points. LMU transfer Ashley Lovett added 16 points and 11 rebounds while Arizona State transfer Jada Blackwell scored 15.

A Hill jumper and a Rachel Amerine (Chandler, Ariz./Perry HS) layup kick started a 7-0 run that gave the Otters a 16-11 lead midway through the first half. They defended their lead into the second half, when the Bronco free-throw deluge began. Cal Poly made four freebies in the first 74 seconds of the second half to finally catch the Otters.

A Jazmine Johnson (Garden Grove/Santa Ana College) jumper gave CSUMB its last lead at 47-45. A pair of Blackwell free throws on the ensuing Cal Poly possession leveled the scoreline again, however, and the Otters wouldn't taste the lead for the duration.

The Otters conclude their 2-game Southern California road swing Saturday at UC San Diego. They return home to host San Francisco State Feb. 6 in The Kelp Bed.