Mustangs lose opener on the road

Reese Morgan led Cal Poly with 13 points in their opener. By Owen Main

In their first game since they lost to top-seeded Wichita State in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team shot poorly and faded in the second half, losing to Nevada 65-49 on Saturday afternoon in Reno.

The Mustangs held the halftime lead, but Nevada shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, when the Mustangs countered by making just a quarter of their shots, including 2-13 from three-point range. Overall, the Mustangs were just 4-22 from behind the arc and shot just 31 percent for the game.

Reese Morgan led Cal Poly with 13 points and also pulled down seven rebounds. David Nwaba, who has been hampered by an injured wrist, scored 11 points.

Cal Poly is without both Zach Gordon and Taylor Sutlive for the season. Both were expected to get significant minutes for head coach Joe Callero this season. On Saturday, they were also without Ridge Shipley, who was unavailable. Shipley should be back for Tuesday’s game.

Cal Poly, who gave up a big lead and lost to Nevada in the home opener last season, kicks-off their home schedule against San Francisco State on Tuesday before hosting Delaware on Friday. The games represent two of just three pre-conference home games on the Cal Poly schedule this year.