UC Irvine
Mustang Men's Basketball Team Held at UC Irvine, 52-45
1/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME REACTION: JOE CALLERO
IRVINE, Calif. – Junior forward Chris Eversley recorded a team-leading 15 points Wednesday evening inside the Bren Center, but the Cal Poly men's basketball team registered its lowest scoring output during a 49-game span and dropped a 52-45 decision versus UC Irvine.
Senior guard Drake U'u added a career-high eight rebounds for Cal Poly (9-10, 5-4), which grabbed a 45-44 lead with two-and-a-half minutes to play through the second of senior guard Dylan Royer's two three-pointers. UC Irvine, however, knocked down four successive free throws during the ensuing two possessions to take the lead and, after Royer fell short with a potential game-tying three-pointer with 30 seconds to play, the Anteaters iced four additional free throws to cement victory.
With the loss, Cal Poly slipped into a three-team tie for third place in the Big West Conference standings alongside UC Irvine (11-11, 5-4) and Hawai'i (11-9, 5-4). The Mustangs conclude a two-game road trip when visiting Big West-leading Long Beach State (11-8, 7-1) on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. The matchup will be televised live on Fox PRIME TICKET.
UC Irvine opened Wednesday's matchup by scoring on its first four possessions and, in holding Cal Poly to just one field goal during the opening seven minutes, stormed to a 10-2 lead. Cal Poly responded with a quick 8-0 run that was capped by three-pointers from guards Chris O'Brien and Kyle Odister and tied the scoreline once more before finally overtaking the Anteaters at 15-12 through a Royer three-pointer at the nine-minute mark.
Cal Poly, which limited UC Irvine to just three field goals during a 13-and-a-half minute span midway through the first half, eventually led by as much as 19-12 before the Anteaters shortened their deficit to 25-21 at the break through a pair of baskets from sophomore forward Will Davis II during the final two minutes of the half.
UC Irvine senior guard Daman Starring, who scored just four points in the first half, twice helped the Anteaters deadlock the scoreline early in the second with a pair of three-pointers. A layup from senior center Adam Folker at the 10-and-a-half minute mark finally delivered the Anteaters a 33-31 advantage and neither side led by more than two points for the ensuing four minutes until a layup by UC Irvine junior guard Chris McNealy put the hosts up 41-37.
A turnaround jumper from O'Brien was followed by a U'u layup as Cal Poly squared the game for the eighth time on the night with five-and-a-half minutes remaining. Despite then being held without a field goal during the next three minutes, an Eversley free throw followed by Royer's late three-pointer handed Cal Poly its final lead of the night.
Cal Poly's 45-point Wednesday output was its lowest since defeating USC 42-36 on Nov. 19, 2011.
