Head coach Joe Callero sprinted across Mott Gym after the buzzer sounded. His right hand pointed at the thousands of students who filled the stands, his other clinched at his side.
“Thank you,” he said to the 3,032 in attendance.
He then rejoined the rest of his team in the center of the court. Jumping and yelling, they celebrated in front the season’s first sellout crowd.
The Mustangs had just defeated their top ranked rival UC Santa Barbara.
Cal Poly (11-17, 7-8 Big West), led by four Mustangs scoring double figures, defeated Big West front-runner UC Santa Barbara (17-9, 11-4), 60-57, Saturday night.
“This is what I dreamed of,” Callero said. “This is why I came to Cal Poly. I had heard all the rumors of what Cal Poly could be like with a packed gym and I said in my opening news conference I dream of the day that Mott’s so hot that the walls sweat.”
The Gauchos had an opportunity to put the game away with 30 seconds left and a one-point lead. But, after a timeout taken by UCSB, junior guard Shawn Lewis stole the inbound pass and ran down the floor and dished the ball off to teammate Jordan Lewis who put in the lay-up to put the Mustangs ahead by one.
Jordan Lewis followed up his lead changing lay-up with a huge defensive block on the Gauchos Will Brew. After sophomore David Hanson made a pair of free throws for Cal Poly, the Gauchos had just enough time for one more shot, which missed and sealed the upset for the Mustangs.
“I felt like it wasn’t just a gym of people, it was a gym of fans,” Callero said.
The Mustangs attacked the basket early in the game. It paid off, gaining a 13-6 lead after five minutes of play; Cal Poly also snatched eight boards including five on the offensive end. The Mustangs finished the game with 46 rebounds, lead by Hanson who had 17.
UCSB did not let the Mustangs run away with the game going on a 16-3 run after putting in their 7-foot-3-inch center, Greg Somogyi, into the game.
Shawn Lewis ended Cal Poly’s nearly nine-minute scoreless drought by running right past defenders, taking off through the lane to dunk, energizing the crowd. After a rebound by Lewis he put up a three-pointer that pulled the Mustangs within one.
After trailing by as many as nine points in the second half, Callero put senior forward Ryan Darling on the floor with 11 minutes left in the game.
Darling recorded two blocks in the game including one with three and a half minutes left that kept the Mustangs within two. Darling said he was ready to come off the bench to play against the rival Gauchos.
“The energy comes easy,” he said. “This game is huge in my mind for (Anderson, Lorenzo Keeler) and I. This is the last time as seniors we get to play UC Santa Barbara at home, our rivals. I didn’t know when I was gonna get in but I was ready and the energy just came easy.”
Senior Charles Anderson’s accuracy from behind the arc helped the Mustangs gain a lead with six minutes left. Anderson finished with 15 points as the Mustangs leading scorer going 5-11 from the three point line only taking one shot that was inside the arc.
As the game came down to the final seconds, the Mustangs used the experience that they gained in their past few games in order to stay composed in the win, Anderson said.
Shawn Lewis, who had been on the bench for much of the second half because of foul trouble, said he was anxious to get back into the game.
“I was just so antsy. I just really wanted to get in so bad I can’t really describe it,” he said.
This win was a confidence booster for the Mustangs after a tough loss on Wednesday to CSU Fullerton after a last-second buzzer beater.
Anderson said the loss helped to motivate the team to play hard and get a win against the Gauchos.
The Gauchos on the other hand were riding high after a six-game win streak and sole possession of first place in the Big West Conference.
Lewis said beating the top team in league will help the confidence of the team moving into the last game of the season and into the Big West Tournament.
“Hopefully in the Big West Conference Tournament this (Cal Poly versus UCSB) will be the championship game,” he said.
On Saturday the Mustangs will host UC Irvine for their final home game of the season at 7 p.m.
—Brian De Los Santos contributed to this article