Graig MantleNot many teams can say they have winning streaks in The Thunderdome.
In fact, the Cal Poly women’s basketball team is the only school in the Big West Conference to have won each of its last two games at UC Santa Barbara.
So the Mustangs have nothing to worry about when they tip off against the Gauchos at 2 p.m. Saturday, right?
Not so, Cal Poly forward Megan Harrison and guard Toni Newman said Monday at a weekly athletics department press conference in Mustang Hall.
“It’s kind of a must-win game as far as us in conference standings,” Harrison said.
It just might be.
Whereas Cal Poly (9-14) is tied for fourth in the Big West with a 6-4 record, UCSB (15-6) has all but clinched the league title with a 10-0 mark.
“They are the team to beat,” Newman said of the Gauchos.
“I don’t think there is really that big of a difference between us. Our thing is, we need to play a full 40-minute game instead of a 35- or 30-minute game. Santa Barbara plays a full 40 minutes, so we just have to make sure we keep up with that.”
The Mustangs are 2-2 in their last four games, but only 2-5 since their 4-0 start in the Big West – their first 4-0 conference start since their Division II days of the 1979-80 season.
In Cal Poly’s last outing, a 70-55 loss at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Harrison was forced to come off the bench with what she called a “flu/virus thing,” but could start Saturday.
Harrison, who leads the Mustangs in both points (13.4) and rebounds (6.5) per game, said Cal Poly must box out better if it is to avenge a 75-58 loss to UCSB on Jan. 19.
Newman agreed.
“Their size, their post players are hard to get around, and they run a lot,” Newman said.
“We’re both running teams, so hopefully we can match up.”
Like Newman, Harrison said it could be a knock-down, drag-out affair.
“It’s us playing up to our potential,” Harrison said. “Playing hard the whole game, matching their intensity.”
And if they do that, the Mustangs just might be able to hand the Gauchos their first Big West defeat of the season.
“We need this game,” Harrison said. “We need to win this game to build our confidence. . Our rivalry is enormous, so it’s important we come focused.”