With four minutes remaining at Baxter Arena, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball was in a 74-74 deadlock with the Omaha Mavericks after going back and forth throughout the second half.
The Mustangs (6-8, 0-2 Big West) were looking to earn their first non-conference winning record since 2011 when they went 10-7 outside conference play.
Omaha’s Kamryn Thomas was fouled on a fastbreak and earned free throws to try and get his team the lead.
Though he missed his second shot, he grabbed his own rebound and kicked it out to Tony Osburn, who hit the three that would give Omaha a lead that Cal Poly couldn’t overcome as they fell 86-82.
The Mustangs were dominated on the inside throughout the game, giving up 17 offensive boards that were converted into 21 second-chance points.
Nine offensive rebounds were given up in the first half, in which these second-chance points and a recurring turnover problem derailed Cal Poly.
Though the Mustangs kept pace with their three-point shooting, going 40% from deep in the match, they committed nine turnovers in the first half, leading to them falling behind 43-38.
Though they cleaned up the turnovers in the second half, only committing six, Cal Poly could not stop Omaha as they drove to the basket.
The Mavericks scored 40 points in the paint. 16 of leading scorer Marquel Sutton’s 24 points came from the inside as he was able to get to the basket for layups and score mid-range jumpers when needed.
Cal Poly closed the small gap with the help of its two leading scorers, graduate swingman Owen Koonce and graduate guard Jarred Hyder.
Hyder finished with a team-leading 22 points, and Koonce was not far behind with 20 points of his own.
Both players came alive in the second half to help the Mustangs keep pace, but Omaha hit the necessary free throws to finish the game and win.
Cal Poly will finish their non-conference schedule with a 6-6 record. Though they couldn’t earn a winning record, it’s an improvement from their 4-8 non-conference record last season.
The Mustangs will take a holiday break before returning to Big West play against UC Irvine at home on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.