Cal Poly women’s basketball team picked seventh in Big West preseason poll

The Cal Poly women’s basketball team was picked to finish in the lower half of the Big West Conference standings this winter, according to a preseason poll of conference coaches and media members released Tuesday afternoon.

The Mustangs were chosen seventh in the coaches poll, ahead of UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton. Long Beach State was the preseason favorite by the coaches, followed by UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, Hawaii and CSUN.

The 49ers, who return all five starters from last year’s team, also were the preseason favorite among media members polled, followed closely by UC Riverside and Hawaii. UC Davis was selected fourth and also received one first-place vote. CSUN was fifth, followed by Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.

Two Mustangs also were named to the preseason all-conference team. Junior forward Hannah Gilbert and junior guard Dynn Leaupepe both earned that distinction, joining Long Beach State’s Raven Benton, UC Davis’ Morgan Bertsch, CSUN’s Channon Fluker and UC Riverside’s Rejane Verin.

Gilbert led Cal Poly in scoring (12.7 points per game), rebounding (8.7), blocked shots (38), and her team-high 54-percent field goal percentage ranked second in the conference last season.

Leaupepe came on strong in the second half of her sophomore year and averaged more than 12 points per contest. She scored 20 points or more six times, including a 30-point, six-rebound effort during the Mustangs’ Big West Tournament victory over CSUN last March.

Cal Poly is scheduled to begin its season Nov. 11 at Stanford.

This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Cal Poly women’s basketball team picked seventh in Big West preseason poll."