Thirty two seconds left, 66-66 tie, and freshman guard Kyle Odister had the ball.
Squaring up near the top of the key, he hit a clutch three pointer to help propel the Mustangs (3-5) to a 73-66 victory against South Dakota State (4-7), Tuesday night in Brookings, South Dakota.
The win tallied the Mustangs third consecutive victory for Cal Poly and its first road victory under head coach Joe Callero.
“We have learned from each of our games on the road this season and this time it paid off with our first road win,” Callero said in a release. “We limited the Jackrabbits by extending our defense and that caught them a bit off guard. We changed things up on them near the end of the game and went with a little press and that gave us an advantage.”
Senior guard Lorenzo Keeler led the Mustangs with 21 points when he connected on eight of 14 shots while Odister scored a season high 17 points, hitting seven of 13.
Sophomore Center Will Donahue recorded his fourth double double of the season with his 13 point and 10 rebound output. Tagged on with his offensive performance, Donahue also added four blocks in the game.
Both teams enjoyed hefty performances from their benches. Sophomore forward David Hanson came off the bench for the Mustangs to add seven points and four rebounds. South Dakota State was led in scoring by junior guard Clint Sargent, off the bench, with 16 points.
Senior guard Garrett Callahan also added 13 in the loss.
The Mustangs held a 41-31 advantage in rebounds led by Donahue’s 10, junior guard Shawn Lewis added eight. Lewis also contributed with three blocks of his own.
Cal Poly shot 48 percent from the floor when they made 28 of 58 shots and converted 44 percent from long range. The Jackrabbits were limited to just 35 percent from the floor, hitting 20 of 57.
The Mustangs turned the ball over 16 times compared to 13 for the Jackrabbits.
South Dakota State went to the line 25 times, making 18 while Cal Poly was limited to just 14 attempts but made 10.
The Mustang return to the hardwood tomorrow when the team travels to take on Big Ten powerhouse Wisconsin for a 6 pm (PT) tip off.