With 20 seconds remaining in their rivalry game with UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball looked to tie the game up after crawling out of a 14-point deficit to make the game close at 72-70.
The sound of the crowd erupting at Mott Athletics Center was almost deafening as the leading scorer for the Mustangs’ graduate forward, Owen Koonce, drove to the basket and laid the ball in with his right hand to tie the game up.
Though Cal Poly would go on to lose the game at the buzzer, the sold-out crowd got more than their money’s worth after witnessing one of the most entertaining games of the season so far.
Mustang fans have shown up to support the men’s basketball team this year. Since returning from the pandemic in the 2021-22 season, the average attendance per game has risen by over 200 fans.
With their new style of play brought about by first-year Head Coach Mike DeGeorge, the Mustangs have adopted an entertaining brand of basketball that has captured the attention of Cal Poly fans.
For third-year computer science major Bryan Lai, who has been watching the team since he started attending Cal Poly, the team’s run-and-gun style of play has added a “new flair” to the games.
“Last year I felt that our system was very robotic, where we’d have a lot of set plays,” Lai said. “For this year, I feel like we see a lot of player’s play styles because they’re being actual basketball players who are working as a team.”
The Mustangs’ free-flowing offense focuses on driving the ball into the paint and kicking it out to three-point shooters for shot opportunities from beyond the arc.
The new style of offense has resulted in the Mustangs shooting over 640 threes in the season so far, almost 100 more than the next team in the Big West conference.
Their playstyle has them at third in the Big West with 79 points per game. Cal Poly began the season 4-1 at home, energized by the crowd that has shown up to cheer them on.
Players like Koonce and graduate guard Mac Riniker have been key contributors on both ends of the floor, both of which Lai has enjoyed watching this season.
“I feel like those two just added another dynamic,” Lai said. “I feel like last year we didn’t have that dynamic where we could switch one through five on defense or can run offense through.”
Riniker has been the Mustangs’ primary defender this season, usually taking on the assignment of guarding the opponents’ top-scoring threats, no matter the position. The Colorado native leads the team in steals and blocks, hounding the ball-handler at the point of attack.
Riniker’s versatility on the defensive end has allowed Cal Poly to have more freedom, knowing they have a reliable player who can handle any assignment given to him.
His defensive prowess allows the team to take more risks, which has been a fun aspect of the team to watch for Cal Poly Mustang Band member Thai Huynh.
“There’s always a chance of somebody just stealing the ball right out of somebody else’s hands,” Huynh said.
Cal Poly averages just under eight steals per game, which is good for fourth in the Big West. When they poke the ball away, they get out fast and earn scoring opportunities in transition.
On the offensive end, Koonce has paced the Mustangs in scoring with 18 points per game.
The forward has been a threat from just about anywhere on the court this season, but his 41% three-point shooting percentage has been more than important for a Cal Poly team that fires most of its shots from deep.
The Mustangs shot 32 threes per game, the third most in all of NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball.
Reliable shooters like Koonce and senior guard Isaac Jessup, who both shoot around 40%, allow this play style to work. This has resulted in entertaining basketball games that have drawn fans.
Early in the season, Cal Poly fed off the support from their fans and went 4-1 in their first five home games.
Though they suffered a recent losing skid at the beginning of conference play, they had some of their best performances in front of the Mustang crowd.
They earned a standing ovation after breaking the team’s 46-game conference losing streak that went back to 2022 against Long Beach State on Saturday, Jan. 25.
“The environment is awesome here,” Riniker said. “We’re excited to get out in front of the home crowd and show them what we’re capable of.”