Cal Poly women’s basketball experiencing ‘weird,’ ‘disjointed’ season
Cal Poly’s season has been a series of stops and starts due to COVID-19-related precautions, resulting in a “disjointed” and hectic season for the women’s basketball team, according to 24th-year Mustangs Head Coach Faith Mimnaugh.
The Mustangs have seen three players contract COVID-19 this season, all of whom are back on the court now.
Throughout it all, the team has had to be extra cautious about remaining socially distant and safe. Players haven’t been able to live college life very normally, often stuck in their dorm rooms and forced to remain in San Luis Obispo, the veteran coach said.
“Our players didn’t get to go home for the holidays,” Mimnaugh said. “They can’t really go out and do much. They can’t interact socially in the same way they normally would with other students on campus. It has been a challenging year.”
Cal Poly (5-4, 1-2 Big West Conference) was back in action Friday afternoon, losing 63-52 to UC Irvine (6-5, 3-0) at Mott Athletic Center. Mimnaugh talked of the lack of repetition and continuity in a season that has seen four games canceled already.
“This is a weird year for sure, the stopping and starting, and stopping and starting,” the Cal Poly coach said. “It feels very disjointed. We make progress and then nobody can be in the gym for two weeks. When you do get a chance to get in the gym and do game conditioning and it’s like ‘Do you remember the offense?’ ... It’s a lot to have this stop, start, but a lot of the teams are dealing with that, so we’re no different.”
In addition to their own players, Cal Poly has been affected by opponents hit by positive COVID-19 tests.
“We played teams that have gotten antigen tests that have resulted in positive COVID tests, and then we have to stop and quarantine,” Mimnaugh said. “That means our players can’t even be shooting in a gym for that period.”
Cal Poly women led by two standouts
Nonetheless, Mimnaugh said, her squad is led by two players enjoying outstanding starts to the season — point guard Abbey Ellis and forward Sierra Campisano.
Ellis, a 5-foot-6 sophomore from Australia, was averaging 22 points per game entering Friday, shooting 45% from 3-point range and knocking down 92% of her free throws.
Campisano, a 6-foot 3 senior from San Diego, is averaging 17.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest.
“I think both players are strong contenders for Big West Player of the Year,” Mimnaugh said.
Campisano has been a strong post presence for Cal Poly, playing big minutes for the team and carrying a heavy scoring load.
Ellis is as competitive as it gets, Mimnaugh said, wanting to continue to improve and do the best she can in all aspects of the game.
“She’s a feisty player who wants to be the best at everything she does, and she’s an even better person,” Mimnaugh said.
Can the Mustangs contend in Big West?
Mimnaugh said that it’s hard this early to know which programs in the Big West will wind up as top contenders because of the disruptions caused by COVID cancellations.
“I think when we’re playing well, we’re one of the best teams in the conference,” Mimnaugh said.
CSU Northridge opted out, joining other universities around the country, including Duke’s women’s team, that have chosen not to play this season.
UC Irvine showed quick, athletic guard play and brought pressure with its press throughout Friday’s game that forced some Mustangs turnovers.
Mimnaugh said her squad at times has experienced difficulties differentiating between man and zone pressure.
Senior Kirsty Brown surpassed her career high with a 15-point night Friday, and Campisano also scored 15 for the Mustangs.
Ellis was held to nine points while sitting out much of the first half due to foul trouble.
UC Irvine sprinted to an early double-digit lead, a gap which Cal Poly closed in the second half. The Mustangs pulled ahead 33-32 in the third quarter before the Anteaters regained the lead for good.
Before Friday, the Mustangs last played Jan. 2 against UC San Diego, splitting a two-game series with the Titans.
“It feels like we haven’t played for months and it’s pretty close to that,” Mimnaugh said. “That’s what it looked like on the court today (Friday).”
The two squads will return to the floor for Game 2 of the back-to-back matchup, set to tip off again at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Fans aren’t permitted to attend due to coronavirus-related regulations. The game will be live-streamed on BigWest.TV with Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer calling the action on GoPoly.com.
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 8:01 PM with the headline "Cal Poly women’s basketball experiencing ‘weird,’ ‘disjointed’ season."
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