The Cal Poly men’s basketball team turned a game of record-setting lows into a game of triumphant highs as the Mustangs defeated Pac-12 opponent USC in a low-scoring affair Saturday afternoon at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
The Mustangs showcased their ability to grind out a tough win despite their struggles from the floor, according to head coach Joe Callero.
“Our guys bought in and played big-time defense the entire game, evidenced by the first half and second half scores,” Callero said. “Offensively, we couldn’t throw it in the ocean the first half. They warmed up a little bit in the second half, but overall team maturity, team experience (and) team camaraderie really played out for us down the stretch.”
The Mustangs got on the board after scoring the first six points of the contest, thanks in part to a 3-pointer by junior guard Drake U’u, followed by a jumper from senior forward Will Taylor within the opening three minutes of play.
Cal Poly led 11-9 with 11:07 to go in the first half, but failed to score for the next 10 minutes. The drought allowed the Trojans to go on an 11-0 run to take the lead 20-11 until 1:07 remained, their largest of the game. The Mustangs added another bucket before halftime and entered the break 5 for 29 (17 percent) from the field, registering only 13 points during the opening 20 minutes of play.
USC greatly out-sized Cal Poly in the post area as they featured two 7-footers to intimidate the Mustangs from scoring points from anywhere but the perimeter. Cal Poly hit only five of their 31 attempted 3-pointers but used the misses to their advantage as they collected 16 offensive boards and slotted nine second-chance points on the afternoon.
“We went into the game plan specifically saying that we needed to take about 30 3-pointers,” Callero said. “The thing about shooting from the 3-point line, and it was part of our game plan, is that you get longer rebounds. Long shots, longer rebounds and now (USC’s) 7-footers aren’t as good of rebounders, maybe the ball will skip off of them.”
The Mustangs began the second half in an offensive rhythm, hitting five of their first six shots to cut the Trojans’ lead to three with just over 13 minutes to play.
From then on it was a back-and-forth affair until senior forward David Hanson sunk a 3-point attempt with 1:26 left to give Cal Poly the lead for good.
Hanson, an All-Big West selection from a year ago and the team’s leading returning scorer, hasn’t put up offensive numbers this year as he has in the past, but his late game heroics gave the Mustangs the confidence they needed to close out the dying seconds of the game.
“It felt great (to see it go in),” Hanson said. “It put us up by one, and at that point, we knew that this was our game. In that respect, it was a huge shot.”
After a turnover on their next possession, the Trojans were forced to foul sophomore guard Jamal Johnson to keep time on the clock. Johnson sunk his attempts from the free throw line to give the Mustangs a two possession lead.
Down the stretch, Johnson hit two more from the stripe, and Taylor added two free throws of his own to ice the game and give the Mustangs the grueling win.
“Playing strong defense led to getting chances on offense,” Johnson said. “It turned into a defensive battle where we were getting dummy baskets at the bottom. I think we’re confident in playing in every style. As a team, we can adjust to any type of game plan that we need to.”
Hanson led the Mustangs with 12 points and eight rebounds while four of Johnson’s six points came in the final minute to put the game out of reach.
The Mustangs travel to Las Vegas to take on UNLV Tuesday, in hopes of gathering a second straight win against a major opponent.