Cal Poly opened its 2026-27 season with a big 78-62 win against Cal State San Marcos at Mott Athletic Center.
The Mustangs overcame 25 turnovers with solid defense, efficient shooting and a commanding 59-36 rebounding advantage. Cal Poly held Cal State San Marcos to 26.8% shooting and 7-for-31 from three-point range while shooting 44.3% from the field.
“I was appreciative of our defensive effort. Our execution still has a ways to go, but we were competing hard at the defensive end,” Head Coach Mike DeGeorge said.
Austin Goode was the initial spark, scoring all 11 of his points in the first 13 minutes of play. The Mustangs led 35-24 at halftime despite the turnover problems, as Cal State San Marcos shot only 18% over the first half.
Cal Poly opened the second half with a 15-4 run in under five minutes, forcing a Cal State San Marcos timeout and stretching the lead. Hamad Mousa scored 11 of his game-high 18 points after halftime as Cal Poly took control and cruised to victory.
Mousa added seven rebounds on top of his scoring prowess. Cayden Ward did it all, recording a 15-point, team-high, 11-rebound double-double and leading the Mustangs with five assists, while Guzman Vasilic tallied 13 points of his own. Jess Esso Essis added 11.
Cal Poly did well counteracting their turnover problems by owning the glass and capitalizing on it. The Mustangs grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second-chance points, with Ali Assran collecting 10 total rebounds and six on the offensive end.
“It’s been a big point of emphasis this week, and I thought we did a good job of carrying that over from practice,” DeGeorge said.
The Mustangs will now face their biggest early-season challenge Thursday, traveling to Tucson to take on a ranked Arizona team coming off an upset loss to UCLA.