14-11 (9-4BWC)
Cal State Northridge
10-16 (7-6BWC)
Second-Place Cal Poly Defeats Cal State Northridge, 72-49
2/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Senior guard Shawn Lewis produced his second double-double of the season -- 20 points and 11 rebounds -- as Cal Poly maintained its second-place standing in the Big West Conference with a 72-49 victory over Cal State Northridge on Wednesday night before 2,023 in Mott Gym.
Junior forward David Hanson added 10 points and seven boards for the Mustangs, who won their sixth straight game -- longest winning streak in four years -- and improved to 14-11 for the season and 9-4 in conference games.
Cal State Northridge, which fell to 10-16 and 7-6, was led by senior forward Lenny Daniel with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Josh Greene added 11 points.
Cal Poly never trailed and the game was tied just once. Mustang junior center Will Donahue's two free throws in the first minute of play was answered by a layup by Daniel for a 2-2 tie with 17:43 left in the first half.
Cal Poly then scored 10 straight points for a 12-2 advantage and never looked back. Hanson hit two jumpers and Lewis connected on four free throws during the run.
Another 9-0 Cal Poly run resulted in a 37-13 lead late in the first half and the Mustangs took a 42-18 advantage into the lockerroom at halftime. The Matadors made just one of their first nine floor shots and were 6-for-24 (25 percent) in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Cal State Northridge never got closer than 22 points in the second half and Cal Poly led by as many as 31 points.
Cal Poly outrebounded the Matadors 49-24, including 17 boards on the offensive end. The 25-rebound margin and 23-point advantage are the highest for the Mustangs this season and the 49 boards also represent a season high.
The Mustangs turned the ball over only 10 times and their defense, No. 1 in the nation against three-pointers, allowed just three of 16 Matador shots to fall from long range. Cal State Northridge made just 28 percent of its floor shots (14 of 50).
Cal Poly connected on 39.1 percent of its field goal attempts (18 of 46), including five of 16 from long range.
Sophomore guards Chris O'Brien and Drake U'u each scored nine points and Donahue added eight points and six rebounds.
Lewis' 20 points made him the 10th player in program history to reach 1,200 career points. He hit the mark by sinking two free throws with 3:45 to play in the first half. It marked the 22nd time that Lewis has scored in double figures this season and the double-double was the sixth of his Cal Poly career.
The Mustangs' six-game winning streak ties for second longest in program Division I history (17 years). Their 75.6 percent reading in free throws Thursday night was the Mustangs' best of the year.
Cal Poly will host Northern Arizona of the Big Sky Conference in the ESPNU Sears BracketBuster game Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Mott Gym.
The Mustangs, who are two games behind Long Beach State (16-10, 11-2 Big West), visit the 49ers when the two teams return to conference play next Thursday (Feb. 24).
