Head coach Joe Callero gave an understated two-fisted pump to the air as he walked out of the postgame press conference on Saturday night. The Cal Poly men’s basketball team had just escaped with a 79-76 victory against UC Irvine after leading by double-digits in the second half for the second straight game.
For Callero, a man who loves golf and described the triumphs as “par-saves” on the back nine, the subtle celebration was apt as the Mustangs (14-11, 6-6) moved into a tie for fourth place in the Big West. Back-to-back losses could have sent Cal Poly into seventh place.
“We had some positions where maybe it was going to be a bogey, but we made some long putts and guys stepped up,” Callero said.
A 22-point Mustang lead had completely evaporated with less than a minute to go and the Anteaters had possession, when senior center Will Donahue forced the ball loose at the top of the arc. As he dove to keep the ball in play, he saw Jamal Johnson streaking to the hoop and scooped it to the Mustang guard. Johnson took it the rest of the way, and the Mustangs took a two-point lead, which would hold to the end.
“I saw what Cal Poly basketball has to represent,” Callero said of the play. “Somebody is going to give up their body for an opportunity to win a game. When you see a 6-foot-7, 245 pound guy dive for a basketball, it’s everything that’s right about college basketball.”
Donahue also hit two free-throws in the waning seconds to put the Mustangs up three points and, when the Anteaters’ last second 3-pointer found only iron, give Cal Poly the victory.
“I feel like I haven’t contributed as much (lately), so it feels good to me,” Donahue said.
Cal Poly’s other big man, Will Taylor, scored just four points and played only 16 minutes as Donahue filled in most of the game.
Redshirt sophomore Chris Eversley had a team-high 18 points and five rebounds. Since Jan. 7, Eversley has had double-digit scoring totals in eight of 11 games including a 19-point performance against Cal State Northridge.
“He’s been busting his butt in practice,” Donahue said. “He’s been picking up a lot from all of the older guys telling him what to do. He’s really been listening in and it shows the way he’s been playing.”
Teammates compliment Eversley on his upbeat attitude and ability to spark the team when they need it most.
“I feel like when everyone is energetic and complimenting each other … we feed off that and we come together and make one big fireball of energy,” Eversley said.
David Hanson and Drake U’u had 15 and 10 points, respectively. It marked the first time since Dec. 17 that U’u scored 10 or more points against a Division I opponent.
U’u said while winning games close isn’t the easiest way to go about things, the experience the team gains will come in handy later in the season.
“This conference is so tight, from one through nine, and the conference tournament games can definitely be close,” he said. “It’s going to be a battle every game, these close games are going to be valuable in the end.”
The Mustangs took at 45-32 lead into the halftime break on the back of Eversley and Hanson while the team hit eight of 14 attempts from behind the arc and shot 48 percent overall. The lead could have been more, however, as Cal Poly held a 22-point advantage with 3:36 to play in the first half, but a late flurry of 3-pointers by the Anteaters narrowed the margin to 13.
Irvine opened the second half on a 13-4 run, but Cal Poly maintained some separation from the Anteaters until the final five minutes of play. While U’u spoke about the nature of basketball and how leads fluctuate within a game, he said the key during the tough stretches is to keep an even attitude, not getting swept up in the most recent development.
Overall, the team shot 45.5 percent from the floor, hit 11 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc and broke the school record for best free throw percentage in a game, making 16 of 17 attempts from the stripe (94.1 percent).
The Mustangs travel to Northridge on Wednesday to face the Matadors, a team Cal Poly scored 100 points against in January. The team has four conference games remaining on their schedule and three of those opponents are either tied or behind them in the Big West standings.
A full photo roundup of the game can be seen on the Mustang Daily Facebook page.