One week ago, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball was at its low point of the season when they lost to CSU Fullerton by 15 points. Trying new combinations and rotations didn’t seem to work for coach Mike DeGeorge. Nothing did.
A week later, the Mustangs (9-14, 5-6 Big West) seem to be back on course after back-to-back wins, the latter a 94-87 road victory against UC Riverside on Saturday afternoon.
It was a typical track-meet game for the Mustangs, and the Highlanders (8-15, 3-8) stayed neck-and-neck throughout the race.
Cal Poly was able to withstand a 39-point performance from Riverside’s Andrew Henderson, whose shot-making arsenal was on full display.
Henderson did not get much scoring help from the rest of the Highlanders, who unlike the Mustangs, had a balanced scoring attack.
Sophomore Hamad Mousa led the way with 26 points on 10-20 shooting, and was one of four Mustangs in double-digits. Fellow sophomore Peter Bandelj poured in 17 points while freshmen Austin Goode and Jess Esso Essis scored 16 and 13 points, respectively. For Goode and Esso Essis, these were career-high numbers.
Cal Poly is a young team that has struggled with depth for most of the season, but seems to have found answers lately. Both games of their road trip featured a massive bench-point advantage for Cal Poly, something seldom seen early in the season. Freshmen like Goode and Troy Plumtree have settled into contributing roles, while Esso Essis joined the team midyear after an injury.
READ MORE: “Plumtree’s 31 leads Cal Poly Men’s Basketball past Cal State Bakersfield, stops three game skid”
Cal Poly is a hard team to stop when everyone is contributing, as seen on Saturday. The Mustangs shot 53% from the field and won the turnover battle, capitalizing on the Highlanders’ giveaways. The Highlanders were relentless on the glass, grabbing 21 offensive rebounds, yet they only had a three-point advantage in second-chance points.
11 Mustangs touched the floor in the win, with only two being upper-classmen, eligibility-wise. DeGeorge and staff have built a promising, yet inexperienced roster that is slowly but surely figuring things out.
The team’s next test is a tough one; a matchup with CSUN, who are fresh off a win against defending Big West champion UCSD. The game will take place back in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, Feb. 5, with Cal Poly looking to build momentum in conference play.