Freshman shooting guard Quentin Jones dropped a career-high 17 points as Cal Poly Men’s Basketball defeated the University of St. Thomas Tommies (Minnesota) on Nov. 17th in Riverside by a score of 61-60.
Jones has earned the starting spot at the shooting guard position early in the season. The Hazel Crest, Illinois native has shown the ability to create his own shot in the midrange. Against St. Thomas, this three-point shot started to fall. Jones finished two of three from distance and made all five of his free throws.
The Mustangs (2-2) get their first win in a series of three games at the Lancer Joust at Cal Baptist.
The Mustangs won their first game of the season against the University of La Verne but then dropped their next two matches to the University of Denver and the University of Wyoming.
On the other hand, the Tommies (2-2) lost their first game of the season against the University of California, Berkeley. Then, they won their next two (Idaho State University and North Central University in Minnesota).
The Mustangs were in control for the first half, looking like they would win their second game of the season.
The Mustangs held the lead for 17 minutes in the first half. They shot 44% (12-27) from the field and 50% from the three-point arc (4-8).
In the last game for the Mustangs, the defense allowed their opponent to shoot 52% from the field. In the first half, the Tommies shot 36% (8-22) from the field and 17% (1-6) from the three-point arc.
At half, the Mustangs were leading 31-22.
It appeared the Mustangs would run away with the win, but the Tommies fought their way to the rim and converted around the basket.
Seven and a half minutes into the second half, the Tommies clawed their way back into the game, taking the lead.
The Tommies would hold the lead until the final two minutes.
With two minutes remaining, the Mustangs fought their way back, with senior combo guard Kobe Sanders scoring on both free throws.
The Mustangs scored on all (9-9) of their free throws until there was one minute remaining in the game. The Mustangs’ only miss came at the worst time, leading to them being down 59-60.
The Tommies couldn’t score on their next possession.
Sanders scored for the Mustangs on their final possession by getting through three defenders for a layup, putting them up 61-60.
With 10 seconds remaining in the game, the Tommies could not score on their last-chance effort.
The Mustangs in their previous two games committed 51 fouls total. Tonight, they only committed 17. This could have cost the Mustangs the game, but luckily, the Tommies only shot 71% (12-17) from the free throw line.
The Tommies did approve their shooting percentage, and the Mustangs’ defense could not hold up in the second half. By the end of the game, the Tommies were shooting 50% (22-44) from the field and 40% (4-10) from the three-point arc. The Tommies made three of their four three-point shots in the second half.
The Mustangs shot similarly in the second half from the field, finishing the game shooting 46% (23-50). The Mustangs only made one three-point shot in the second half, finishing the game shooting 38% (5-13) from the three-point arc.
The Mustangs are looking to continue the upward trend when they take on Portland State University on Saturday, Nov. 18th at 2:30 p.m. in Riverside as part of the Lancer Joust.