The Cal Poly men’s basketball team fell to non-conference opponent Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday night after falling behind 11-1 to start the game. Cal Poly dropped its second consecutive game in a 69-66 defeat to the Roadrunners as Amauarys Fermin’s half-court heave fell short at the final buzzer to send the Mustangs back to San Luis Obispo with a 13-11 record.
Redshirt sophomore Chris Eversley had a game-high 18 points for the Mustangs and senior forward David Hanson added 14 more. Fermin was held to single-digit scoring for the third consecutive game, he had seven points, including one 3-pointer.
The Mustangs trailed by three points with under a minute of play left. They had a chance to tie the game after junior guard Dylan Royer hit his third 3-pointer and Roadrunner Stephon Carter missed two free throws, but Cal Poly turned the ball over on its next possession, and Bakersfield hit its next two free throws.
Royer hit another shot from beyond the arc, his fourth of the night, to bring the lead to two, but it was too little too late.
Two nights after the Mustangs bench scored 33 points in a loss to Cal State Fullerton, the same group scored just 11 points though playing in significantly less time.
Thursday versus Cal State Fullerton
Hot shooting from Cal State Fullerton left the men’s basketball team in the dust on Thursday night as the Titans jumped out to an early lead and won 83-61. The Mustangs fell to 4-6 in Big West action. They have not won back-to-back games since early January.
Cal Poly’s leading scorer, Will Taylor, netted just 10 points, and the Titans shut down Fermin, who scored five points while hitting only two of seven shots from the field during his 18 minutes of play.
Starters Eversley, Royer and Fermin played fewer than 20 minutes while Jordan Lewis, Will Donahue and Kyle Odister filled in off the bench.
The Mustangs, usually known for excellent defense on the 3-point line, allowed the Titans to hit 10 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. Cal Poly only netted three 3-pointers.
Cal Poly pulled to within one point of Fullerton midway through the first half, but the Titans responded with a 17-2 run and led 43-29 at halftime.
The team returns home on Thursday for a game against UC Riverside, who beat the Mustangs in January, and finishes a two-game home stand with a match up against UC Irvine.