One year ago, Cal Poly saw James Nunnally’s buzzer-beater give rival UC Santa Barbara a single-point victory against the Mustangs at home. It was almost déjà vu on Monday night.
Senior guard for the Gauchos Orlando Johnson rattled home a 3-point attempt from the right corner with five seconds left to help the Gauchos down the Cal Poly men’s basketball team (9-5, 0-1) 58-57 in front of a sellout crowd of 3,032 inside Mott Gym.
The Big West Conference’s leader in points per game, Johnson only tallied 12 points on the night, well off his season average of 21 per game. But it was his late game heroics that proved to be the difference.
Third-year head coach Joe Callero said his team is taking the loss in stride, and he learned key lessons about his players in their first conference game of the season.
“We’re really pleased because of the way we fought back,” Callero said. “We learned that we do have as much depth as we thought. … The guys from the bench aren’t coming in nervous. They’re coming in to contribute and they know that if it’s been one game or three games without much playing time, this might be their night.”
Following a timeout taken by the Mustangs with 2.3 seconds remaining, senior forward David Hanson had an opportunity for the game-winning shot, but his turn-around jumper from the right corner found iron as time expired.
It was Cal Poly’s eighth loss in nine games in the rivalry series with the Gauchos (6-5, 1-0), the last win coming two seasons ago when Hanson’s 16 rebounds helped Cal Poly out-duel UC Santa Barbara 60-57.
The Mustangs came out of the gate scoring at a frenetic pace taking a 9-2 lead following a long-range 3-pointer by senior guard Amaurys Fermin with 16:51 to play in the first half.
The Gauchos answered by going on a 12-4 run, helped by freshman forward Alan Williams’ layup with 9:48 to go in the first half to give the Gauchos their first lead of the night.
UC Santa Barbara took control late in the first half as the Gauchos extended their cushion to 27-20 capped off by a 3-pointer made by junior guard Nate Garth with three minutes left in the period. They led at the break 29-22.
On Cal Poly’s side, senior forward Will Taylor tallied a game-high 17 points and 11 boards for his fourth double-double of the season. According to him, the Mustangs will use the heart-breaking loss as fuel for the remainder of the conference schedule.
“We’re just as good as they are,” he said. “We’re not going to quit. We’re not going to roll over. We’re going to keep playing Cal Poly basketball.”
The Gauchos extended their lead to 13 with 15:19 remaining in the second half courtesy of a 3-pointer by Garth, but the Mustangs gained some momentum with a 12-3 run midway through the period.
Hanson gave the Mustangs their first lead since 5:14 of the first half on a close-range layup following a pass from Fermin from the left side of the basket with 1:41 to go.
But the momentum wasn’t enough, and free throws proved to give the Mustangs fits as they collectively missed three of four free throws down the stretch. On the night, Cal Poly made only 12 of 20 attempts from the stripe.
For Fermin, it was his first ever game playing against a Big West opponent and an exciting beginning to conference play.
“I looked at it as another game to give it my all and give it my best in my senior year,” he said. “I’m excited for the next 15 (conference games).”
Cal Poly went 20-for-53 shooting 38 percent from the floor on the night in contrast to UC Santa Barbara’s 44 percent. The Mustangs also shot 22 percent from beyond the arc, hitting 4 of 18 from three-point land, two of which accounted for sophomore guard Jamal Johnson’s six points off the bench.
The Mustangs continue conference play at Long Beach State Thursday night, and return home to host Cal State Fullerton on Saturday in Mott Gym.