Cal Poly earns first road win

Reese Morgan, who scored 17 points on Monday against San Francisco, is Cal Poly’s second-leading scorer. By Owen Main

Last night, Cal Poly men’s basketball got out to a 14-point lead in the second half, lost that lead, and fought-back to beat San Francisco in The City, 78-71.

David Nwaba scored 19 points and Reese Morgan added 17 for Cal Poly, whose record moved to 4-4 on the season.

Scoring in bunches

Cal Poly’s had an outlier offensive night for them, scoring in the high-70’s and turning the ball over 14 times, compared to only 6 assists. Usually, that would be a recipe for disaster for a Joe Callero team, but the Mustangs found ways to get to the free throw line and give themselves extra opportunities on offense.

Nwaba in particular has shows increased ability to put pressure on defenses for whole games instead of just in spurts. Morgan, who was a Parade All-American in high school, might never have the first step he had before his most recent knee surgery. That said, he seems to be moving well-enough on the court to be quite effective.

Windex-men

Cal Poly’s real decisive statistical advantage came in rebounding. The Mustangs out-rebounded the Dons 41-30, and had a double-digit advantage for most of the game.

After losing their top rebounder in Chris Eversley after last season, Cal Poly is using a team approach to secure missed shots on both ends of the court. No Mustang reached double-digits in rebounds, but all 10 guys who played grabbed at least one and seven out of the ten managed three or more.

The development of Brian Bennett

Brian Bennett has been one of Cal Poly’s steadiest players. As a freshman, he led Cal Poly in scoring when they upset UCLA. He had a double-double in his first collegiate game at TCU. His mid-range jumper is one of the most reliable for a post player in the Big West.

Brian Bennett seems to be rounding into form again in his junior season. By Owen Main

But the junior has had a hard time sustaining excellence. After averaging 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a freshman, his stats regressed in his sophomore season (6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, while playing about 5 fewer minutes per game).

This year, he seems to have regained some of whatever he had as a freshman. Just as importantly, he’s hitting the glass at a career-high clip, leading the team with a 6.5 rebounds per game average. The center from Illinois is one of three Mustangs averaging in double-digits (Nwaba 14.4 ppg, Morgan 11.6 ppg, Bennett 11.4 ppg). His 14 points and 8 rebounds on Monday were integral in Cal Poly’s win. A consistent inside presence on both ends of the court from Bennett will help to open up the game for everyone else on the floor.

Northeastern looms

Northeastern is Cal Poly’s next opponent. They’ll face off in Santa Clara as part of the Cable Car Classic on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm. The Huskies are 6-2 on the season, having beat the likes of Florida State, Manhattan, Western Michigan, and Navy.

Northeastern hasn’t had a game in over 10 days and, aside from Florida State, hasn’t played a lot of big-name programs. This game will be another of those games where the possible outcome could vary really widely.

The Mustangs will take a quick trip to Seattle and be back in Santa Clara to face the Broncos next week to finish out the Cable Car Classic.

Battle in Seattle

Every year, Gonzaga travels from the eastern part of the state to play in Seattle for a game. This year, the opponent will be Cal Poly. The Mustangs will face a top-10 opponent for the second straight year (they lost to Arizona in their opener last year), and they’ll do it in Joe Callero’s home town.

The game is Saturday night at 7:00 pm at Key Arena in Seattle. Gonzaga is the best team Cal Poly is scheduled to play this season.