Stephan Teodosescu
steodosescu@mustangdaily.net
After losing three starters to graduation last year, it was only a matter of time before junior forward Chris Eversley stepped in to fill the void.
Thursday night was that time.
Eversley earned his third-career double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to help propel the Cal Poly men’s basketball team to a 64-53 win over Northern Colorado inside Mott Gym on Thursday.
“It’s critical that we keep (Eversley) going,” fourth-year head coach Joe Callero said following the game. “I don’t expect him to be the leading scorer night in and night out, but especially I think that he’s gonna be a go-to guy that could very well be our leading scorer (by the end of the season).”
After several players posted 19-point performances throughout the season last year, the Chicago native became Cal Poly’s first 20-point scorer in more than a year when he put back a missed jumper by junior guard Kyle Odister in the second half. David Hanson was the last Mustangs player to score more than 20, as he poured in 25 in a 75-70 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 26, 2011.
“That’s to my teammates, they put me in a position to score, so I owe it all to them,” Eversley said. “We just had great ball movement … it’s a matter of guys just stepping up and being on the same page.”
Senior guard Dylan Royer stepped up at the right time Thursday, hitting a straight-on 3-pointer with 2:02 left to put Cal Poly (1-1) up by 11 and seal the Mustangs’ first win of the 2012-13 season.
The former Morro Bay High School sharpshooter was the only other Cal Poly player in double-figures with 13 points, as he went 3 of 8 from the 3-point line. Royer was among the nation’s best in 3-point field goal percentage last season, hitting on 47 percent of his attempts. That figure would have put him 26th among Division I players had he averaged more than two made 3-pointers a game.
But as a team on Thursday night, the Mustangs came out early missing on all but one 3-point attempt, as they went 1 for 11 from 3-point land in the first half. Cal Poly made sure that result wasn’t repeated, connecting on 5 of 10 after the break.
“It was a little bit of first-game jitters,” Royer said. “The way I look at it it’s the law of averages. Sometimes you’re going to miss some and sometimes you’re going to make some. That’s just the way it is.”
The Mustangs and Bears (1-1) traded baskets throughout the first half, as Northern Colorado led 22-21 at halftime, but a 3-pointer by Eversley with 19:02 to play in the second gave the Mustangs the lead for good.
Cal Poly struggled from the floor in the first half shooting just 26 percent, but got it going with the help of Eversley and Royer after the intermission. Eversley’s free throw with 13 seconds left gave the Mustangs their final advantage on the night.
“We went into halftime and we thought our shots weren’t falling and there were certain things we could do, like get on their shooters more and attack the rim more,” Royer said. “We simply just went out and did it. We were more aggressive attacking the rim (in the second half).”
Cal Poly held Northern Colorado, the nation’s top 3-point shooting team last year, to just 3 of 18 from beyond the arc. The Bears scored a school-record 127 points against NAIA Southwest last week, but shutting down Northern Colorado’s potent offense wasn’t the most satisfying statistic of the night, according to Callero.
“Of all the stats, I think the most impressive is that we had 12 assists and only five turnovers,” he said. “That gives you a chance to identify not only a point guard that does a good job, but that gives credit to the rest of the team.”
The Mustangs jumped out to an early 11-2 lead to start the game, but squandered it midway through the first half only to pull away late in the second half following Eversley’s 3-pointer.
Freshman Brian Bennett added eight points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes during his first-career game at Mott Gym. Senior Chris O’Brien also added nine points.
Cal Poly returns to Mott Gym to host Fresno State on Monday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.