The men’s basketball team continued to struggle in conference play as they lost to UC Davis 80-56 Saturday at the UC Davis Pavillion. The Mustangs (6-15 overall) still hold only one conference win while the reigning Big West champion Aggies (14-4 overall) improved their Big West Conference record to 5-2.
The Mustangs never had the lead after an early 2-1 advantage with 19:13 left in the first half. Cal Poly allowed UC Davis to shoot an astounding 53.6 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from three. Even though Cal Poly shot more than 47 percent from the three-point line, the Mustangs shot a mediocre 38.8 percent from the field.
The Aggies also out-rebounded the Mustangs 38 to 21 and dominated inside, scoring 38 points in the paint compared to Cal Poly’s 12 points inside. This continues a troubling trend for the undersized Mustangs, who have been out-rebounded by an average of 12.7 rebounds per game during their six-game
losing streak.
Junior guard Donovan Fields finished with a team-high 13 points and senior forward Luke Meikle added 10 points for the Mustangs. Senior forward Chima Moneke had a game-high 21 points and junior guard Siler Schneider had 11 points for the Aggies.
Cal Poly senior guard Victor Joseph has continued to struggle, only mustering up six points on two-for-six shooting. This is the third game in a row where he has not scored in double digits.
UC Davis utilized a 10-0 run to pull ahead 19-7 early in the first half and scored 12 of the first 14 points in the second half to lead 56-24 with 16 minutes to play.
With the loss, Cal Poly remains eighth in conference play, only leading UC Riverside in the Big West standings. The Mustangs will take on the Highlanders Wednesday night at Mott Athletics Center.