ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Ashlee Guay scored 25 points and Cal State Northridge beat Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 73-58 in the Big West title game Saturday to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Matadors (18-14) won the Big West tournament for the first time to reach the NCAA tournament for the second time since they moved up to Division I before the 1990-91 season.
Guay also had six rebounds and six assists and was named tournament MVP and Janae Sharpe added 17 points for top-seeded Northridge.
Cal Poly (18-13), the defending conference tournament champion, rallied to cut a 20-point deficit to six at 62-56 with 4:23 remaining, but Northridge finished on an 11-2 run.
Ariana Elegado scored 21 of her 23 points in the second half for the Mustangs.
The Matadors never trailed, using big runs to start each half to take commanding leads.
Northridge raced to a 17-6 lead, with five players scoring, and made it 30-10 before settling for a 32-20 halftime lead.
The Matadors came out of the break hot as well, reeling off a 13-5 run, highlighted by a one-handed 3-pointer by Guay from the right wing, that gave them a 45-25 lead with 14:11 left.
Elegado sparked the Mustangs' comeback attempt with a huge second half. The junior guard scored 11 points during a 16-4 run that cut the deficit to six.
But Matadors junior Camille Mahlknecht drained a baseline jumper to halt the Mustangs' momentum, and Guay followed with a pair of layups to stretch the Matadors' lead to 12.
Guay, Sharpe and Mahlknecht were named to the all-tournament team for the Matadors while Elegado and Schlemer made it for Cal Poly. UC Irvine's Camille Buckely rounded out the all-tournament selections.
