Mustangs split two in South Texas before Christmas break

Reese Morgan scored in double figures in both games in Texas this past week. By Kim Sutlive

After going 0-3 to start their season-long six-game road trip, Cal Poly bounced back on Tuesday night, beating UTSA 88-73 in a game that even as close as the final score suggested. Four players scored 12 points each and seven Mustangs were in double-figures in the game that Cal Poly led 51-26 at halftime. The Mustangs led by 31 points mid-way through the second half.

What a difference two days make

On Sunday afternoon, Cal Poly allowed Texas A&M Corpus Christi to shoot 46 percent from the field and 50% from three-point range en route to an 80-74 loss. In that game, the Mustangs allowed the Islanders to get out to a big double-digit first-half lead. Cal Poly scrapped back to take the lead in the second half, but wasn’t able to finish the second half as strongly as they began it, despite having five players score in double figures.

On Tuesday night in San Antonio, Cal Poly’s defense early was a little better, their opponent was worse, and the Mustangs sustained a first-half run of their own that allowed them to dictate tempo and style of play in the second half.

Daaamn, Gina!

Cal Poly freshman forward Josh Martin played in his third game back. As Joe Callero predicted early in December, it took Martin a few games to get into the flow, and Tuesday was a coming out party for the hyper-athletic Minnesota transfer.

The emergence of Josh Martin will give Cal Poly yet another weapon. By Kim Sutlive

Martin slammed-home three alley-oop dunks in the first half alone and finished with 12 points and was tied for the team lead with six rebounds in just 14 minutes.

Awich off the bench?

Senior forward Joel Awich, in a bit of a slump lately, was relegated to the bench in favor of Luke Meikle, who played the five position in a small starting lineup. Both played 20 minutes on Tuesday with Awich scoring 11 and Meikle 12. Joe Callero probably has four players on his roster who can man the four position and going forward rotations are sure to be something he’ll be forced to put some extra thought into — especially once conference play starts. Who matches-up well against what other teams do could play a big role.

Defending the three

After giving up over 50% three-point shooting in three consecutive games, Cal Poly finally held an opponent under that mark for a game. UTSA shot just 7-27 from downtown — an unsurprising mark given that UTSA has a 2-11 record and is the fourteenth-worst team in Division I college basketball according to kenpom.com. The Roadrunners are shooting just 31 percent for the season from downtown.

For what it’s worth, Cal Poly currently sits at number 121 overall (out of 351 teams).

Junior Ridge Shipley (above) and freshman Jaylen Shead had a good game on Tuesday night. By Kim Sutlive

Shead and Shipley get A’s

Joe Callero loves a point guard with a good assist-turnover ratio. On Tuesday, Ridge Shipley and Jaylen Shead — both native Texan point guards — combined for 11 assists, nine rebounds, and zero turnovers. They didn’t shoot the ball well, though they are both capable scorers. Callero will be pleased with them helping the team in other ways. For Cal Poly to be dangerous, they have to get continued improvements in efficiency from the point guard position.

Fast (Christmas) Break

The Mustangs will now get a week-long break for Christmas. Players will disburse out from Texas and return after th holiday. Sporting three players from the state of Texas on their roster and one incoming freshman from the Lone Star State next season (Mark Crowe), Cal Poly will head back to College Station, Texas for a matchup with #19/21 Texas A&M on Tuesday, December 29th at 5:00 pm Pacific time. The matchup with the Aggies will be Cal Poly’s final non-conference game.

The Mustangs will start conference play at Hawai’i on January 6th. Between December 22nd and January 14th (a span of more than three weeks), the games at Texas A&M and at Hawai’i are the only ones Cal Poly will play.

Photos below by Kim Sutlive