Cal Poly Men’s Basketball dropped their second game of the season 88-60 at the hands of San Francisco on Friday, Dec. 4 inside Mott Athletics Center.
After crushing Bethesda College one week ago, Cal Poly (1-1) were at the other end of the rout against the Dons. San Francisco, who upset No. 4-ranked Virginia one week ago, marked their fifth straight game with ten or more three-pointers made on Friday.
Cal Poly began the game with an early 5-0 lead, thanks to a three-pointer from freshman guard Kobe Sanders and a made jumper from junior forward Tuukka Jaakkola. With 15:37 on the clock sophomore forward Alimamy Koroma made a layup to put the Mustangs up by three, which would be their last lead of the game.
The Mustangs kept the game close for the majority of the first half, with Jaakkola nailing two free throws to tie the game at 18 with 9:40 left. However, San Francisco’s lead steadily grew from that point on, thanks to a flurry of scoring from guard Jamaree Bouyea. Bouyea finished the first half with 18 points on 7-9 shooting from the field.
For every basket Cal Poly scored, the Dons answered with two of their own. The lead reached 13 as guard Julian Rishwain hit a three-pointer at the first half buzzer, making the score 45-32 going into halftime.
Koroma and freshman forward Brantly Stevenson led the Mustangs in first half scoring with 8 points apiece. Despite Cal Poly keeping it close for much of the half, San Francisco pulled away thanks to efficient scoring. They shot 63.0% percent from the field, and a blistering 45.5% from three in the half.
San Francisco’s efficient scoring and Cal Poly’s shooting woes continued into the second half. The Dons opened up the half with back-to-back threes and a dunk to extend their lead to 21 points.
The teams exchanged baskets until Koroma made a jumper at the 13:25 mark. The Dons then went on a long 19-2 run to put the game away, with the only Mustang bucket coming from freshman guard Camren Pierce. Cal Poly’s deficit reached 36 with 6:57 left in the game.
The Mustangs went on a late 10-0 run with five different players contributing to the scoring stretch. However, the Dons closed out the game with a final score of 88-60.
Koroma’s performance was a silver lining for the Mustangs, as he tied his career high with 14 points and added six rebounds. He was the only Mustang in double figures, but Pierce and Stevenson each added eight points.
Prior to the game, San Francisco had attempted the most three-pointers in the nation with 161, and were second in three-pointers made at 57. The Dons had four players in double figures on Friday, with Bouyea leading the way at 18 points.
Cal Poly will be back in action at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7 at home against New Mexico State.
