They fought. They clawed. They pressed.

To erase a 15-point deficit against rival UCSB, Cal Poly pulled out all the stops. In front of a sold-out crowd at Mott Athletic Center, the Mustangs took control and took the lead on a Joel Awich three pointer with 1:29 left.

The lead only lasted 1:18.

With 11 seconds to play, UCSB’s Gabe Vincent took a baseline pass and finished inside to give the Gauchos the lead. Vincent’s free throw didn’t go, and neither team had any timeouts. David Nwaba went coast-to-coast, but his runner didn’t fall, UCSB escaped with a one-point victory.

Shades of Orlando

All I could think about during the last few minutes of the game was Orlando Johnson, and this shot.

Vincent’s shot didn’t require nearly the lucky bounce that Johnson’s did in 2012 — how many corner threes hit the rim like four times and roll in?! — but the play was just about as clutch.

Young basketball players, take note. The wide-short corner is a great place to hide-out while your buddy drives to the hoop. Even if you have 25 points already.

Three-ball unkind

Cal Poly’s three-point shooting kind of let it down on Thursday. The Mustangs, who hadn’t played at home in about a month, shot just 4-16 (25%) from behind the arc. It was the fewest three-pointers they’ve made all season and the second-worst percentage game of the year from downtown.

The usually-dynamic duo of Taylor Sutlive and Reese Morgan — both of whom are high percentage shooters from distance — managed just 1-8 combined.

If you’re a Cal Poly fan, you might look at that number and feel not horrible about it. The team isn’t likely to shoot that poorly from three-point range moving forward. They only shot 16 threes, which is a very low number for them, and their two-point offense still managed to put up enough points to be right in the game.

Of course, if you’re a pessimist, you might look at the 13-21 free throw night and think about that a little too long.

Bennett back on-track?

Brian Bennett is looking a little more svelte, and Cal Poly went to him inside against UCSB’s big men. Bennett mostly had his way, shooting 6-9 from the field and scoring 13 points off the bench. Cal Poly fans should be happy with his increased activity, too. The senior had six rebounds.

Bennett will need to find ways to be effective and active down low for Cal Poly to continue to stay in games in Big West Conference play.

Nwaba does it all

David Nwaba continues to be Joe Callero’s Swiss Army knife. The senior forward leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and assists. Oh, yeah, he’s also guarding the other team’s best player most nights.

Against UCSB, he scored 16 points, grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and dished-out three assists. His final shot didn’t fall, but nobody else on the Mustangs could have gone coast to coast to get themselves the kind of shot that Nwaba got.

The Mott Athletics Center crowd got real hot, real fast on Thursday night. Can they bring the noise again on Saturday? by Owen Main

Digging a hole

Cal Poly started the second half nicely. A Luke Meikle drive to the hoop made the score 43-40 with 18:55 to go in the game. After a few calls the Mustangs didn’t like, the wheels started to wobble, if not fall-off.

Over the next 11 minutes, the Gauchos really took control, running their four-guard offense, cutting, weaving and driving for buckets. Their patience and execution helped them build their lead to 15 points with 7:41 to go in the game.

Each time Cal Poly felt they’d been wronged in some way, the Gauchos seemed to take advantage and score on the other end. The crowd grew somewhat quiet.

Then the Mustangs pressed. With the athletes they have, maybe they’ll press more. It seemed to engage the crowd, invigorate the bench, and get some of the anxious or negative energy flowing toward more positive ends.

It will be interesting to see if the Mustangs try to use the press as a more regular part of their attack moving forward. They are 10 or 11 guys deep and whatever they might lose in terms of offensive and defensive execution with that much depth (because of everyone who gets practice reps), they may be able to recover by making the game a little more frenetic at times.

49ers coming to town

Cal Poly will be looking to bounce-back and get their first conference victory on Saturday against Long Beach State. For their part, Dan Monson’s team loves to play a frenetic pace. Gabe Faust is a Big West Player of the Year candidate Monson always seems to have his team ready and focused. Long Beach State lost a close game to UC Irvine on Thursday night and will be looking to stay above .500 in conference play. Cal Poly is still trying to get their first win.

For match-ups, keep an eye on Faust. Cal Poly allowed UCSB’s Gabe Vincent to get going on Thursday, and Faust is every bit as deadly a scorer. Two other players to keep an eye on for Long Beach State are Justin Bibbins and Gabe Levin.

Bibbins is a sophomore point guard who is probably smaller than Ridge Shipley. He’s also a really efficient player who can knock down open three-pointers. He seems to have learned a little something along the way from guys like Mike Caffey who (finally) graduated last year. Levin, a transfer from Loyola Marymount, is a sneaky inside player. If fans are frustrated at weird plays the Mustangs’ defense is forced into, it’s a safe bet that Levin is probably in the middle of it.

Doubleheader

Tonight’s game is the second half of a doubleheader. Faith Mimnaugh’s Cal Poly women’s hoops team plays at 4:00 against Cal State Fullerton at Mott Athletics Center. The Mustangs are looking for a little revenge on Saturday. The Titans are the team that bounced them from the 2015 Big West Tournament last season.

Cal Poly Women’s Basketball vs. Cal State Fullerton – 4:00 PM

Cal Poly Men’s Basketball vs. Long Beach State – 7:00 PM

Photos by Owen Main

Click here to view all photos from the game

With all due respect to the Cal Poly men’s basketball and football teams, the Cal Poly – UCSB soccer game on Saturday night was the most exciting, most electric sporting event maybe in the history of San Luis Obispo. Perhaps it matched sold-out Blue-Green rivalry games of 2008 and 2011, but the energy was palpable.  The stadium was full — 11,075 in attendance — and that wasn’t counting the fans who couldn’t get in.

George Malki (2) had his game-face on before Saturday’s Blue-Green Riavalry game. His second-half goal was his fourth of the season and the first game-winner of his career. Photo by Owen Main

Fans inside and outside of Alex G. Spanos Stadium scrambled for a better view. Those who arrived 15 minutes before game-time might not have been allowed in — the place was already full. Some of those left outside needed police officers to get them off of fences or trees as they were packed 2-3 deep in places outside of Alex G. Spanos Stadium where the field was visible.

Inside the stadium, the pregame Cal Poly! chant was deafening. The Mustang Manglers, Cal Poly’s soccer fan club, were standing, chanting, and dancing 75 minutes prior to the game.

When junior midfielder George Malki slotted a 77th minute shot into the Gaucho net, his fourth of the season and first game-winning goal of his career, Spanos Stadium exploded.

As time expired, Cal Poly fans stormed the field for the second time this year after a Blue-Green game, celebrating their first soccer sweep over UCSB since 1997. The loss ended the Gauchos’ season. UCSB will not play in the postseason this year after a run of 10 consecutive NCAA appearances.

Along with the Marauders, most of the eastern stands were filled with white shirts for the “white-out,” creating a wall of support behind the Mustangs’ bench.

The most important stat of the game for Cal Poly, though, was number of tortillas that littered the field at Alex G. Spanos Stadium: 0.

Cal Poly will head South for the Big West Tournament starting on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge vs. the Matadors. If they win and Cal State Fullerton knocks off UC Davis, the Mustangs could host the Big West Championship on Saturday.

The Big West’s divisions were unbalanced this season — UCSB was in last place in the North, but had the same number of points (13) as Cal State Fullerton, who finished second in the South and qualified for the Big West Tournament. Sacramento State, the third-place finisher in the North with 16 points, also did not make it into the Big West Tournament.

Photos by David Livingston

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Photos by Owen Main

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