Coming back home for the first time in over three weeks, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball looked to establish dominance and build confidence in Mott Athletic Center on Nov. 29 before entering conference play the following week.
Instead, the Mustangs (4-5) found themselves down by five points to the University of Redlands with only 6:42 left on the clock, a hole Cal Poly would have to fight their way out of.
Redlands (5-1), a Division III program, are the reigning SCIAC champions and are entering the season as the No. 4 ranked NCAA Division III team in the country. Regardless, the two-division difference between them and Cal Poly should’ve meant dominance for the Mustangs.
Going into halftime, Cal Poly was up by six against University of Redlands, a lead the Mustangs hoped to extend. Alternatively, Cal Poly had to fight the next 20 minutes to just maintain the lead and get the 87-81 win over Bulldogs.
The second half found the Mustangs and the Bulldogs going toe-to-toe. Within the first three minutes of the half, Redlands had come up from a six point deficit at the half to tie the game.
For the next ten minutes, both teams traded the lead back and forth six times before Cal Poly fought their way back to the top of the scoreboard.
The late comeback for the Mustangs was sparked by freshman forward Austin Goode. Goode, who had a season-high night with 11 points in just his third start this season, narrowed the score to three with a layup late in the quarter.
Cal Poly then relied on one of their stars, sophomore guard Cayden Ward, to hit a three-point shot to tie the game up at 71. Ward has stepped up into a key role this year, becoming one of the Mustangs’ top scorers in his second season.
After Ward was able to tie the game up, himself and fellow top-scorer sophomore guard Hamad Mousa ran the show to hold the lead and secure a victory for the Mustangs. With help from Goode and sophomore guard Peter Bandelj, Cal Poly was able to escape with the victory.
Offense proved not to be the issue for the Mustangs, as the team shot an efficient 53.3% field goal percentage, and shot 91.7% from the free throw line.
Bandelj led the Mustangs with career highs of 21 points and nine assists.The Slovenia native went four for five from the three-point line during his 33 minutes on the court.
Scoring was more evenly distributed among the team with several other double digit scorers for the Mustangs, including Mousa, Ward, and Goode.
With 19 points off the bench, Mousa continues to have a loud season for the Mustangs. This is the eighth straight game that the transfer from Dayton has contributed more than 10 points.
With four personal fouls on the night, Ward saw limited minutes on the floor. In his 19 minutes on the court, he was still able to finish with 11 points on a 71.4% field goal percentage for.
While shooting was a high point for Cal Poly, the offense did struggle with turnovers. Throughout the game, the Mustangs recorded 21 turnovers and handed the Redlands 26 points off of turnovers.
On the other side of the court, the Bulldogs revealed more weaknesses on the defensive end for the Mustangs. With 12 lead changes and 19 Redlands second chance points, Cal Poly was not a dominant force against the Division III program that they were expected to be.
Redlands saw more field goal, three-point, and free throw opportunities throughout the game compared to Cal Poly, putting pressure on the Mustangs to capitalize on their limited chances.
Road Woes
Prior to coming back to San Luis Obispo to play Redlands, Cal Poly travelled to Flagstaff, Ariz. to play their final two road matches of a three-and-a-half week road trip.
Coming off their history-making win against Utah, Cal Poly looked to keep the momentum rolling as they finished their road trip in Flagstaff, Ariz. and instead, they took two losses from both North Arizona University and Southeast Missouri.
READ MORE: Cal Poly Men’s Basketball beats Utah in first win over Big-12 program in 76 years
The Mustangs had taken an early lead against the NAU Lumberjacks (4-2), with Bandelj and Mousa leading the team in scoring. Late in the first half, Cal Poly gave up their lead to Northern Arizona and went into halftime down by six.
Mirroring the Redlands game, the lead of six did not change between the first and second half, but unfortunately for the Mustangs, NAU were the ones that held onto their six point lead, winning 93-87, even with a contentious second half.
Bandelj topped the scoresheet again for Cal Poly with 20 points, four assists, and three steals. Mousa followed closely behind with 17 points and eight rebounds, and junior transfer guard Jake Davis hit double digits with 14 points and six assists.
The Lumberjacks had too much firepower for the Mustangs on the offensive front, with five different players scoring 12 or more points. The Cal Poly defense could not close down on NAU once they got hot during the first half.
The following night, on Nov. 25, Cal Poly’s troubles continued when they took on Southeast Missouri (2-6), losing the game 84-68.
Entering halftime, the Mustangs had a two-point lead over the Redhawks, but Southeast Missouri hammered Cal Poly with 55 points in the second half led by Luke Almodovar, who had a 29-point performance with five rebounds against Cal Poly.
Cal Poly had a different look for their starting lineup, with Mousa and Ward starting on the bench for the Mustangs.
With Ward and Mousa coming off the bench, the bench was responsible for more than half the Mustangs points in the 16 point loss. Ward led the team with 15 points and four rebounds, and Mousa followed closely behind 14 points and three rebounds.
While Cal Poly’s time on the road ended with two wins and four losses, Mousa, Ward, and Bandelj have continued to emerge as clear offensive leaders on the team. Having hit season highs on the road, they will try to regain momentum as they enter conference play this week.
The Mustangs will take on Cal State Fullerton on the road as their Big West Conference opener this season on Dec. 4.