8-11, 4-2
UC Riverside
7-13, 2-4
Mustang Men's Basketball Falls Late at UC Riverside, 61-58
1/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME REACTION: JOE CALLERO
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Sophomore forward David Nwaba (right) scored a game-high 17 points and senior forward Chris Eversley chipped in 13, but the Cal Poly men's basketball team was outscored 10-0 during the final three-and-a-half minutes at UC Riverside on Saturday evening and dropped a 61-58 matchup inside the Student Recreation Center.
Junior guard Maliik Love finished with a season-high 10 points for Cal Poly (8-11, 4-2), which led 58-51 with three-and-a-half minutes to play. The Highlanders (7-13, 2-4), however, received two baskets from sophomore guard Steven Jones and a pair of free throws from junior guard Austin Quick inside two-and-a-half minutes to close to within one point.
UC Riverside then converted a missed jumper by Eversley into a Jones layup with 25 seconds remaining to take a 59-58 lead. On the ensuing possession, Mustang senior guard Jamal Johnson missed a jumper from just beyond the free throw line, but Love was whistled for a foul in the scramble for the rebound. With Cal Poly in the double bonus and 1.5 seconds remaining, Highlander freshman guard Sam Finley hit two free throws to cement the game's final scoreline while Eversley's attempt from inside half-court fell short at the buzzer.
Despite producing 17 more shot attempts than UC Riverside, Cal Poly (38.6 percent) was outshot by the Highlanders (42.5), who also shot 88.0 (22-for-25) percent from the free throw line.
With the loss, Cal Poly remained in second place in the Big West standings. The Mustangs could have moved into first place after conference-leading UC Irvine (13-8, 4-1) fell at home to Hawai'i (14-5, 3-2) in overtime, 90-86.
The Mustangs return to the central coast to open a two-game home stand against last-place UC Davis (6-14, 1-4) on Thursday, Jan. 30. Tip time inside the Mott Athletics Center is set for 7 p.m.
With Nwaba scoring Cal Poly's opening 11 points, the Mustangs – who forced UC Riverside into six early turnovers and held the Highlanders scoreless for a seven-minute stretch – found themselves up 14-3 after eight-and-a-half minutes following a Love three-point play.
UC Riverside, limited to two offensive rebounds during the game's opening 18 minutes, still found itself trailing 21-12 five minutes before the break before two free throws apiece from forwards Taylor Johns and Chris Patton brought the Highlanders to within five points of the Mustangs. UC Riverside once more climbed to within five points of Cal Poly's lead before the Mustangs ultimately took a 26-20 advantage into halftime.
Aided by two Patton three-point plays, UC Riverside opened the second half with a 16-7 run to surpass Cal Poly at 36-33 with 15 minutes remaining.
Still trailing 39-35 at the 13-minute mark, the Mustangs received a pair of layups from sophomore forward Brian Bennett to square the scoreline. The Mustangs deadlocked matters twice more, but, trailing 41-39 with 11-and-a-half minutes to play, the Mustangs – fueled by a Nwaba jumper, a three-pointer from freshman guard Ridge Shipley and two Eversley baskets – composed a 9-0 run to go up 50-43.
The Highlanders stemmed Cal Poly's run through a Patton three-point play, but the Mustangs countered with two Nwaba free throws and a lefthanded dunk from Eversley to grab an eight-point advantage at 54-46 with five-and-a-half to play.
