Cal Poly women’s basketball rolls past CSUN in Big West Conference Tournament opener

The Cal Poly women’s basketball team lives to play another day.

Sophomore guard Dynn Leaupepe scored 17 of her game-high 30 points in the first half, propelling the Mustangs to a 72-51 victory over CSUN during the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament on Tuesday night at Bren Events Center.

Dynn Leaupepe and her twin sister, Lynn, were nearly unstoppable in the first 20 minutes against the seventh-seeded Matadors. They combined to score 25 of Cal Poly’s 33 first-half points on a night when leading scorer Hannah Gilbert was somewhat limited by a lower leg injury.

Cal Poly (15-15) committed a school-record-low four turnovers and defeated CSUN for the third time this season, securing a spot in the second round against No. 3 Long Beach State at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“We just did a phenomenal job taking care of the ball,” head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “I thought that both Lynn and Dynn had the best games I’ve seen them offensively and defensively.”

Dynn Leaupepe finished one point shy of her career high and shot 12 of 22 from the field. She also grabbed six rebounds and swiped a game-high three steals in the victory.

“I think it was just based on our focus on defense,” Dynn Leaupepe said. “We knew that we had to get a stop in order to play offense. Just locking down on defense and recognizing their personnel really helped.”

How it happened:

Cal Poly led 15-10 after the first quarter and took a 33-23 advantage into halftime.

A Mustangs team that averaged nearly 17 turnovers per game during the regular season did not turn the ball over once in the first half. That discipline allowed Cal Poly to get set defensively and prevent the Matadors (7-24) from building any momentum offensively.

Cal Poly’s lead swelled to 16 points midway through the third quarter, and the outcome was never seriously in question the rest of the way. Dynn Leaupepe’s steal and layup as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third staked the Mustangs to a 57-42 lead heading into the final period.

Lynn Leaupepe finished with 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting, and senior point guard Lisa Marie Sanchez added 12 points and six assists in a strong all-around performance. The Mustangs shot 45.3 percent from the field, despite missing all 10 of their attempts from behind the 3-point line.

After sitting out against Hawaii during the regular season finale over the weekend, Gilbert appeared well-rested and proved to be an effective defender against the physical Channon Fluker.

The 6-foot-3 Morro Bay graduate contributed 10 points, six rebounds and blocked three shots before fouling out in 27 minutes.

“They all just made some great contributions,” Mimnaugh said. “I’m really proud of them.”

Up and coming:

Not a lot went right for CSUN on Tuesday. However, Fluker continued to be an encouraging bright spot for the Matadors’ future.

Fluker, a 6-4 center from nearby Pasadena, earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors after leading the young Matadors in scoring and rebounding. She was the only player in the conference to average double-digit rebounds (10.0), and her 13.7 points per game ranked fourth among Big West competitors.

She nearly matched her season average with 12 points in the first half and finished the game with a team-high 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.

“Fluker is one heck of a ballplayer,” Mimnaugh said. “If you can limit Fluker to 17 points, I think that’s a pretty good job.”

Up next:

The Mustangs will get another shot at a veteran Long Beach State team Wednesday back at Bren Events Center. The third-seeded 49ers (23-7) defeated Cal Poly during both regular season meetings, including a 61-56 victory in San Luis Obispo two weeks ago.

Long Beach State features one of the most versatile defensive groups in the conference, which contributed to their Big West-leading 10.3 steals per game. The Mustangs committed 52 combined turnovers in their two games against the 49ers.

“They play so hard and they confuse you all the time because they’re always throwing something new at you every single possession,” Mimnaugh said. “You can’t relax or let your mind settle.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 11:17 PM with the headline "Cal Poly women’s basketball rolls past CSUN in Big West Conference Tournament opener."