With three minutes to play, Kobe Sanders was two points away from reaching 1,000 points in career scoring. A swing pass to the right side of the court set up the opportunity for Sanders to create and reach this career accolade.
Sanders crossed 1,000 points after he hit a fadeaway jumper as he was draped by the UC San Diego defense. After the shot fell through the net, Sanders’s teammates and fans rose up with their posters, cheering him on. Now, he stands as the 26th player in program history to reach 1,000 points in his four seasons.
However, the Mustangs lost their final game of the 2023-2024 season, 92-87, to the Tritons on Saturday, March 9, at LionTree Arena in La Jolla, California. With the loss, the Mustangs set a new record for consecutive losses in a season, with 20 straight defeats, just one year after setting a program record of 19 losses.
This moment for Sanders occurred in a game that would be Smith’s last as the head coach at Cal Poly. On March 1st, Cal Poly Athletic Director Don Oberhelman announced that the school would part ways with Smith after this final game.
The Mustangs’ last win came against Omaha on December 21st. In those 20 losses, Cal Poly has lost 10 of the games by single digits.
Coming into this matchup, Sanders needed 22 points to reach the 1,000-point career mark in his last game at Cal Poly. Sanders crossed the mark and added eight more points for a stat line of 30 points and 8 assists on 9 of 17 shooting.
The Mustangs trailed the Tritons for 35 minutes of the matchup and trailed by 18 points at one point in the game. UC San Diego’s guard Aniwaniwa-Tait Jones finished the game with 24 points for the Tritons.
The Tritons shot an astounding 66 percent from three-point range, which caused them to pull away going into the break, leading Cal Poly 49-35 at halftime.
Sanders and the young talent for the Mustangs never went away. Page finished with a career-high 21 points on 9 of 13 shooting. Quentin Jones also was a key factor in this matchup, putting up 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting.
As this game came down to the wire, Sanders continued to be the guy for the Mustangs as he hit a three with 36 seconds remaining, bringing Cal Poly’s deficit to 3 points.
However, an intentional foul by freshman guard Justin Page brought the Tritons to the free-throw line. UC San Diego’s Bryce Pope knocked down both free throws, ending Cal Poly’s hopes for a conference win in their final game of the 2023-2024 season.
Cal Poly is expected to lose Sanders next season. Sanders finished his career at Cal Poly averaging 19.6 points per game, which ranks third in the Big West Conference. Additionally, the Mustangs will lose graduate center Tuukka Jaakkola.
As Cal Poly men’s basketball season comes to an end, Cal Poly athletic director Don Oberhelman will begin a national search to replace Coach John Smith.