5-8, 1-1BWC
Pacific
8-7, 1-2BWC
Cal Poly Triumphs at Pacific to Collect First Big West Win
1/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
STOCKTON, Calif. – Senior guard Shawn Lewis recorded a team-best 11 points to become the 16th player in program history to reach 1,000 during a career and junior forward David Hanson, whose layup with four minutes to play ensured the Cal Poly men's basketball program the lead for certain on Thursday night, added nine as the Mustangs earned their initial Big West Conference victory of the season with a 43-39 triumph against Pacific at the Spanos Center.
Junior center Will Donahue added eight points and seven rebounds for Cal Poly (5-8, 1-1), which posted its third victory at the Spanos Center during the previous four seasons by holding Pacific (8-7, 1-2) to a 2-for-23 performance from three-point range. The 39 points by Pacific marked the lowest offensive output by a Cal Poly opponent since the Mustangs limited Division III Menlo College to 44 points on Dec. 2, 2007. Cal Poly entered Thursday's matchup ranked 37th among Division I programs in opponent scoring average.
Cal Poly held Pacific for a solitary free throw during the initial six minutes but the Mustangs themselves were limited to just three field goals for the opening 13 minutes. Trailing 11-7 seven minutes before halftime, the Mustangs finished the opening half by sinking half of their eight shot attempts to take a 17-16 advantage into the break.
The Tigers opened the second half with a 13-6 run to take a 29-23 lead with 15 minutes remaining. Pacific still maintained a seven-point cushion with 11 minutes to play before back-to-back jumpers by Lewis – now with 1,001 career points – layups by junior guard Matt Titchenal and Hanson and a pair of free throws by Donahue contributed to an 11-0 Mustang run during a seven-minute span.
A three-pointer by Pacific junior guard Jose Rivera snapped an eight-minute Tigers scoring drought and cut the host's deficit to 38-37 with three minute to play. Donahue, however, converted a pair of free throw attempts down the stretch and tipped in a missed Lewis jumper with 25 seconds to play to preserve victory.
Titchenal, who played a collegiate-high 29 minutes, added five points for Cal Poly, which continues its two-game northern California road swing at UC Davis on Saturday, Jan. 8. Tip-off time at The Pavilion is scheduled for 7 p.m.
