Mustangs dominate Maritime Academy in exhibition game

Senior forward Gabe Stephenson and sophomore guard Dawin Whiten each scored 14 points as Cal Poly defeated Cal Maritime 79-36 in an exhibition men’s basketball game Tuesday night in Mott Gym.

Cal Poly made 52.5 percent of its floor shots and scored the first 18 points of the second half to add to its 39-22 halftime lead.

Junior guard Tom Kreta was the lone Cal Maritime player to score in double figures, tallying 11 points.

Cal Poly out-rebounded Cal Maritime 40-23, led by freshman center Coby Leavitt with nine and junior forward Derek Stockalper with seven. Junior forward Praise Odo-Boms grabbed five boards to lead the Keelhaulers.

Leavitt brought the sparse crowd to its feat in the second half with an emphatic dunk. Leavitt leaped as a missed shot clanked off the rim, meeting Leavitt’s hands in midair, only to be slammed through the net for the score.

The undersized and outmatched Keelhaulers turned the ball over 22 times. Cal Poly committed 14 turnovers of its own, mostly due to lazy passing.

The Mustang defense held the Keelhaulers to 32.6 percent shooting from the floor and it took the Keelhaulers eight minutes to score their first points of the second half.

The Mustangs were nine of 20 from three-point range and connected on eight of their 10 free throws.

 

Game Notes

As a sign of what’s to come, Cal Poly coach Kevin Bromley started Derek Stockalper, Gabe Stephenson, Dawin Whiten, Clayton Osborn and Titus Shelton on Tuesday. Freshmen Leavitt and Travis Busch saw the most time off the bench for the Mustangs.

The Keelhaulers’ Joel Henning finished with eight points and two rebounds. Henning played for UC Riverside last season, but transferred to Maritime Academy to play out his senior season. Henning played in 24 games for the Highlanders, averaging 2.3 points per game. Henning scored 10 points in two games against the Mustangs last season.

Cal Poly plays one more exhibition game Tuesday against Cal Baptist at 7 p.m. in Mott Gym. The Lancers went to the “Sweet 16” in the NAIA national championship tournament last year.