Cal Poly Men’s Basketball remained winless in Big West Conference play, falling to UC San Diego 95-68 Thursday at LionTree Arena.
It was an encouraging start by the Mustangs (6-11, 0-5 Big West), who responded strongly after their worst offensive game against Hawai’i, scoring a season-low 55 points.
The Green and Gold have not beaten a regular-season Big West opponent since defeating CSUN 67-57 on Dec. 29, 2022.
Cal Poly opened the game with a strong offensive flurry. Freshman guard Guzman Vasilic hit back-to-back three-pointers to gain an early lead.
The Tritons (14-2, 4-0 Big West) battled back with a 15-2 run of their own, but the Mustangs’ three-point shooting kept them in the game.
Cal Poly drained ten first-half threes, shooting 42% from deep with the production coming from all over the lineup.
Vasilic, graduate guard Owen Koonce and freshman guard Peter Bandelj were all in double figures before they entered halftime up 42-38, breaking a six-game streak of halftime deficits.
However, the Mustangs failed to replicate the offensive production in the second half.
After scoring the first two points of the half, Cal Poly would turn the ball over four possessions in a row. UC San Diego took advantage, going on an 11-0 run to gain a 49-44 lead.
The Mustangs would fight back, cutting the deficit to three multiple times before the Tritons went on a 21-3 run to put the game out of reach.
Koonce led the team with 20 points and a career-high six three-pointers. Vasilic and Bandelj finished with 15 and 12 points, respectively, while graduate guard Jarred Hyder added 11 points and a career-high tying seven assists.
Cal Poly will continue searching for their first regular season conference victory since the tail end of 2022 as they return home to face their rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 5 p.m.