Still looking for their first regular season Big West Conference win since Dec. 29, 2022, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball plays host to rivals UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Mott Athletics Center.
The Gauchos (10-5, 2-2 Big West) have won their last three games, including two conference games against Hawai’i and CSU Bakersfield.
The Mustangs (6-11, 0-5 Big West) have not beaten the Gauchos in any of their last 14 matchups, with their last victory on Jan. 4, 2018, at Mott Athletics Center.
Offense finds some footing
After struggling in their first four conference games, Cal Poly’s offensive output came alive in the first half of their previous game against UC San Diego. The team shot 42% from three and entered halftime with a lead.
The Tritons would come back, capping the game off on a 33-9 run to stay undefeated.
Freshman guard Guzman Vasilic drew the start and scored 15 points, while fellow freshman guard Peter Bandelj poured 12 in from the bench.
Scoring 68 points is still well below the average for the high-paced Mustangs, but the offense taking steps in the right direction after the Hawai’i game is promising.
A look at the Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara is missing some key players who played a vital role a season ago.
Ajay Mitchell scored 20 points per game, second in the Big West, and now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The other top 3 scorers, Yohan Traore and Josh Pierre-Louis, are also gone.
In their stead, four players average double digits. Leading that pack is Kenny Pohto, a 6-foot-11-inch transfer from Wichita State who averages 13 points and eight rebounds a night.
Stephan Swenson transferred in from Stetson and has run the team’s offense, with four assists per game to go along with double-digit scoring.
Cal Poly tries to snap the 43-game conference losing streak when they host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan.11, at 5 p.m. at Mott Athletic Center.
