All season, Cal Poly has exceeded expectations. Whether it be defeating UC Santa Barbra or Hawaii, the team projected to finish last in the Big West has thrived as the underdog.
Thursday night, the underdog’s run came to an end, as Cal Poly (12-19, 7-9 Big West), led by a double-digit scoring effort by four Mustangs, fell to Long Beach State (16-15, 8-8), 79-69, in the second round of the Big West tournament. The No. 6 Mustangs trailed No. 3 Long Beach State for all but 79 seconds on Thursday evening and saw their season end in the Big West Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
“For a team that has the bye, you see the difference in the first five minutes and the last five minutes,” first-year Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero said in a release. “They buzz-sawed us with that 10-point lead early, but between the first and last five, I thought it was a competitive and even game.”
Sophomore Jordan Lewis led all Mustangs in scoring with 14 points. Junior guard Shawn Lewis finished with 13 points and senior guard Lorenzo Keeler and junior forward Will Taylor each recorded 11 for Cal Poly, which was held to a 36.2 percent shooting. A day after eliminating seventh-seeded UC Irvine to earn the program’s first Big West Tournament triumph since 2007, the Mustangs were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes by a well-rested team.
Keeler hit a jump shot 40 seconds into the game to give Cal Poly its only lead of the game, but Long Beach State responded by scoring the ensuing 14 points during a two-minute span to earn an unassailable lead. Sophomore forward David Hanson, who was held to a 1-6 start from the floor, led Cal Poly’s response with his lone three-pointer in eight attempts, but the Mustangs trailed in double-digits for a majority of the opening half.
A Hanson layup cut Cal Poly’s deficit to 37-30 about three minutes before the break, but Long Beach State – which shot 51.6 percent from the floor during the opening 20 minutes – closed the half with a 6-0 run to lead 43-30 at intermission.
Trailing 53-42 with 15 minutes to play, however, Cal Poly capped a 13-4 run with a three-pointer from senior guard Charles Anderson to pull within two points of the 49ers. But the Mustangs missed their ensuing eight shots from the field and Long Beach State posted an 11-0 run to ensure victory.
Taylor finished with a game-high 10 rebounds for Cal Poly.
Thursday’s loss marked the final appearance for seniors Keeler, Anderson and forward Ryan Darling.
“I had an unbelievable time at Cal Poly. One goal we had this year was to get to the Big West Tournament and we went one step beyond that,” Keeler said, who finished tied for 10th on the Mustang career-scoring chart with 1,157 career points. “For my career, I wouldn’t want to have been anywhere else.”