The Cal Poly men’s basketball team resisted a flurry of early Pacific runs, as the Mustangs overcame an early 7-0 deficit Saturday night to win 58-39.
After a slow first half, forward David Hanson and guard Shawn Lewis went off in the final 20 minutes for a combined 25 points, moving the team to 6-4 in the Big West and 11-11 overall.
It was a tale of two halves for the Mustangs, as they missed on their last 10 shots of the first half, in addition to missing two free throws. The scoring drought lasted for the last 6:23 of the half, which allowed the Tigers to crawl to within two points at the break.
Hanson’s nine first-half points led the Mustangs through a difficult opening 20 minutes. The rest of the team combined for just 10, giving the team a slim 19-17 going into halftime.
“In that first five to 10 minute period, it was kind of like a boxing match,” head coach Joe Callero said. “It looked like we needed to feel each other out.”
A completely reenergized team took the court in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 39-22. Hanson said the time to reorganize during halftime paid big dividends in the second half.
It certainly showed.
Hanson hit a long-distance 3-pointer early, sparking a fire the Mustangs would sustain throughout the second half.
“We wanted to be the aggressors coming out of the gate and not let them strike first,” Hanson said. “Those first three minutes were really important.”
The shot virtually put the game out of reach for the Tigers. They never got closer than three points for the remainder of the game.
Hanson stole most of the spotlight to this point, but in his shadow Shawn Lewis racked up a career-high 15 rebounds.
Overall, Lewis was quiet for the most part, but he soon made his presence known. The senior dribbled around a defender and leapt into the air to slam one home.
The effort brought Mott Gym to its feet with five minutes to go and put the Mustangs up 15 points.
And Lewis was not done yet.
On the next possession, Lewis lit up the scoreboard with a 3-pointer and slammed another dunk 45 seconds later to expand the Mustangs’ lead to 20 points.
“(Lewis) is playing off of David, they compliment each other — that’s what a team is,” Callero said. “And that’s what is fun about it.”
The victory inched the Mustangs closer to conference leader Long Beach State, but they still need the 49ers to slip up if Cal Poly wants a shot at the conference championship.
“(The win) shows that we’re one of the teams to beat,” Lewis said. “We could drop down to eighth and it doesn’t matter, we’re still getting ready for the conference tournament.”