2-2
UCLA
4-2
Mustang Men's Basketball Stuns No. 11 UCLA, 70-68
11/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: ESPN | PAC-12 NETWORK
POSTGAME REACTION: JOE CALLERO | DYLAN ROYER | BRIAN BENNETT
JOE CALLERO DISCUSSES CAL POLY'S WIN
LOS ANGELES – Senior guard Dylan Royer sank a career-high six three-pointers to finish with 18 points and freshman forward Brian Bennett added a career-high 16 points as the Cal Poly men's basketball team overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to upset 11th-ranked UCLA on Sunday evening inside New Pauley Pavilion, 70-68.
Junior forward Chris Eversley added a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double and junior guard Kyle Odister sank three three-pointers to finish with 15 points for Cal Poly (2-2), which posted its first victory against a ranked opponent in 19 Division I seasons. Sunday's historic triumph also marked Cal Poly's first win against the Bruins in six all-time meetings and UCLA's first loss at New Pauley Pavilion.
Facing its second-highest ranked opponent in program history, Cal Poly trailed UCLA, 51-33, with 12 minutes remaining before mounting its siege as a three-pointer from Royer and two from Odister sliced UCLA's lead to single digits for the first time since early in the second half.
Trailing 59-51 at the seven-minute mark, the Mustangs posted a 9-2 run that was capped by a Royer three-pointer to draw within one point of the Bruin lead with less than four minutes to play. UCLA junior forward Travis Wear stemmed the Mustang tide with a layup, but Royer hammered back with another three-pointer to deadlock the scoreline at 65-65 with two minutes, 40 seconds left.
A layup from Bruin junior center Joshua Smith reaffirmed UCLA's lead moments later, but a layup from Mustang senior guard Chris O'Brien – who finished with a career-high eight assists – and a follow-up attempt from Eversley helped mark the 11th lead change of Sunday's game and cement a 67-65 advantage for Cal Poly with one-and-a-half minutes remaining.
After Odister knocked down a free throw with 34 seconds to play, Bruin senior guard Larry Drew II sunk the first of his two attempts at the other end of the court to cut Cal Poly's lead to 68-66. Drew's second missed attempt fell to Eversley, who hit the floor with his rebound and was whistled for traveling. UCLA freshman guard Jordan Adams then rolled in a layup on the inbounds play to tie the game.
Odister, however, found himself at the free throw line with 11 seconds to play after being fouled by sophomore guard Norman Powell while trying to drive the ball upcourt. Odister sank both of his attempts and Powell missed a three-pointer at the other end of Pauley Pavilion before Adams fell short with a potential game-tying jumper at the buzzer.
In just the second matchup between the two sides during the last 58 years, Sunday's lead changed hands five times during the opening four minutes before UCLA wrestled a 16-9 advantage 13 minutes before halftime. The Mustangs, however, responded by keeping UCLA off the scoreboard for the next seven minutes, using an 11-0 run to snatch a 20-16 advantage.
Adams thwarted Cal Poly with a three-pointer before adding a second moments later to provide the Bruins a brief 24-23 lead four minutes before halftime. Neither side, however, led by more than two points down the stretch and UCLA took a 29-27 lead into the locker courtesy of layup down the lane from Drew on the buzz of the halftime horn.
Spurred by three-pointers from freshman guard Shabazz Muhammad and junior forward David Wear, the Bruins opened the second half by sinking four of their opening six attempts from the floor. Leading 41-31 at the 16-minute mark, UCLA held Cal Poly to one basket during the next three-and-a-half minutes to extend the lead to 18 points.
Cal Poly concludes its two-game road trip when visiting Saint Mary's on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.
