Hawai'i
Mustang Men's Basketball Team Outlasts Hawai'i, 64-61
3/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MORGAN FINDS EVERSLEY FOR THE DUNK (video)
HONOLULU, Hawaii – Junior forward Chris Eversley scored a game-leading 25 points as the Cal Poly men's basketball program utilized a late second-half run to outdistance Hawai'i inside the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday evening, 64-61.
Freshman forward Reese Morgan added 10 points for Cal Poly (15-12, 10-6), which climbed to third place in the Big West Conference standings alongside UC Irvine (17-13, 10-6) after the Anteaters topped league-leading Long Beach State (17-11, 13-3) earlier Saturday, 72-69. Playing just the sixth game outside of the continental United States in program history, Cal Poly posted its fourth successive victory against Hawai'i (17-12, 10-7) during the previous three seasons.
Cal Poly closes the 2012-13 regular season when hosting UC Riverside on Thursday, March 7 and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, March 9. Tip time for both matchups inside the Mott Athletics Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
During a contest that featured seven lead changes inside the opening six minutes, neither program led by more than three points until an Eversley jumper coupled with the second of senior guard Dylan Royer's two three-pointers placed Cal Poly up 17-11. Still in the ascendancy at 23-16 with seven minutes remaining in the first half, the Mustangs surrendered a 7-0 run that tied the game.
A dunk from freshman forward Zach Gordon snapped Hawai'i's run and kept Cal Poly in the lead, but Warrior freshman forward Issac Fotu – who finished with a team-leading 17 points – answered with a layup. However, Morgan sank two of his five free throws with a minute to play in the half to hand Cal Poly a 27-25 edge at the break.
A trio of Eversley jumpers and one from freshman forward Brian Bennett kept Cal Poly in front during the early stages of the first half – but barely. A three-pointer from Warriors senior forward Hauns Brereton with 15 minutes remaining tied the matchup once again at 36-36, but the Mustangs countered. Eversley followed a three-pointer from senior guard Drake U'u with a pair of jumpers to reaffirm Cal Poly's lead at 42-37 with 12 minutes to play.
The Mustangs twice stretched their lead to seven points during the next five minutes before going up 54-46 at the six-and-a-half minute mark through an Eversley dunk. Eversley followed with a three-pointer moments later before a layup increased Cal Poly's advantage to 59-48 with five-and-a-half to play.
Hawai'i, held to a solitary field goal during Cal Poly's run, mounted one final challenge. Trailing 61-48 after a Bennett layup, the Warriors received a pair of three-pointers from senior guard Jace Tavita and two free throws from freshman guard Garrett Jefferson to slice the Mustang lead to 61-58 with two minutes to play.
Morgan and Warriors freshman guard Brandon Jawato traded three-pointers on ensuing possessions, but with 12 seconds left, Brereton missed a three-point attempt from the left corner. The Mustangs twice missed one-and-one attempts with fewer than 10 seconds to play, but Tavita failed to get a three-point attempt off as the final horn sounded.
