After going down 11-0 early to UC Davis, Cal Poly Women’s Basketball pulled out the 57-54 win at Mott Athletic Center on Saturday, Dec. 30, to start 2-0 in Big West play for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.
The Mustangs (6-6, 2-0 Big West) and Aggies (4-8, 0-2 Big West) combined for 44 turnovers and 23 steals in a sloppy game.
But the Mustangs regained some possessions off the offensive glass, where the team corralled 13 compared to the Aggies’ five.
Senior Natalia Ackerman finished with her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt freshman forward Sierra Lichtie put up 16 points and six rebounds.
Junior point guard Annika Shah and graduate transfer Ania McNicholas both put up eight points for the Mustangs.
The Aggies hit the ground running in the first period, leading the Mustangs 11-0 near the end of the first period. The Mustangs turned it around before the half, leading 23-14 near the end of the second period, their largest lead of the game.
Both teams exchanged the lead in the second half. Across the game, there were 13 lead changes.
The Aggies led 54-53 with 10 seconds to go in the fourth period before Ackerman put up a layup to take a one-point advantage with six seconds to go.
The Mustangs shot below 40% from the field, and three players committed four turnovers, but in the end, the team found a way to win.
The Mustangs will now travel down to Southern California to face Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m., and will look to extend their conference record to 3-0.