The Mustangs hit a bit of a hiccup Saturday.
Poised to match last season’s 5-2 program-best start in the Big West, Cal Poly dropped an 80-65 decision to Cal State Northridge on the road. It was the team’s third loss in conference, but with conference-leading Long Beach State falling to UC Irvine, the Mustangs still remain within striking distance of first place in the Big West.
The Mustangs have their 65-60 win over UC Riverside to thank for their good fortunes.
Forward David Hanson had a big part in the win. He hit five of his first six shots and scored 12 of Cal Poly’s first 14 points. With his effort, the Mustangs found themselves up 14-7 just six minutes into the game.
But then UC Riverside answered back. They went on a 23-6 run during the next 13 minutes and held Cal Poly scoreless for a six-minute stretch. The Highlanders led 30-20 four minutes before halftime.
Hanson then helped his team again. He — along with guard Chris O’Brien — hit a 3-pointer to propel the Mustangs on an 8-0 run and cut UC Riverside’s lead to two. But it wasn’t enough to grab the lead at the half and the Mustangs trailed 35-31 at the break.
In the second half, the Mustangs sank five of its first six shots and grabbed a 43-39 lead with 15 minutes to play. The Mustangs extended that lead to 61-52 off another 3-pointer from Hanson later in the half.
The Highlanders cut Cal Poly’s advantage twice to three points with fewer than three minutes remaining, but guard Shawn Lewis — who recorded all 11 of his points during the second half — hit two free throws with 32 seconds left in the game.
Against Cal State Northridge, the Mustangs looked to be in control of the game up until a critical elbow swing in the second half.
With 15 minutes left in the game, and Cal Poly controlling a 44-39 lead, guard Jamal Johnson grabbed an inbounds pass and swung the ball across his chest. In doing so, he clocked Cal State Northridge’s Josh Green in the face with an elbow and knocked Green to the ground.
Consequently, Green was awarded two free throws and cut into the Mustang’s lead. From there, the Mustangs lost all momentum and couldn’t recover. The Matadors outscored the Mustangs 36-23 down the stretch en route to the victory.