michael mulladyFreshman forward Kyle Brucculeri led a quartet of starters who scored in double figures, tallying 22 points to lead UC Davis to an 83-70 victory over Cal Poly in a non-conference men’s basketball game Saturday before, 2,838 fans in Mott Gym.
Junior guard Rommel Marentez added 18 points for the Aggies while senior forward Phil Rasmussen and freshman guard Vince Oliver added 17 apiece. The win improved the Aggies to 7-15 for the season.
Cal Poly, which fell to 6-13, was led in scoring by freshman guard Chaz Thomas with 17 points, 14 in the second half. Sophomore guard Dawin Whiten added 13 points while freshman guard Trae Clark scored 10 points off the bench.
Cal Poly’s last lead was at 21-20 with 7:32 to play in the first half on a lay-up by Whiten. A lay-up by Rasmussen gave the Aggies the lead for good at 22-21 with 7:14 to go and UC Davis pulled away to a 39-28 advantage at the break.
The Mustangs struggled to find an offensive rhythm throughout the game as the Aggies dominated most of the game. Uncontested shots were few and far between as Cal Poly failed to find many openings in a stringent Davis defense.
The Aggies led by 18 points midway through the second half and Cal Poly could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. Each time the Mustangs drew within 10 points, the Aggies answered with a run of their own.
UC Davis won by making 56 percent of its floor shots and turning the ball over just 12 times. Cal Poly connected on just 43.9 percent from the floor – only three of 15 three-pointers – and turned the ball over 17 times. The Mustangs built a 38-25 advantage on the boards, led by Derek Stockalper and Whiten with seven each.
Cal Poly plays its next four games on the road, visiting Long Beach State and UC Irvine next weekend for Big West Conference games. The Anteaters are first in the Big West at 9-1 with their only loss to University of the Pacific. Cal Poly lost to both the Anteaters and the 49ers earlier this season.