2-2
California
4-1
Second-Half Surge Sends Cal Poly Men's Basketball to Defeat at California
11/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME REACTION: JOE CALLERO
POSTGAME QUOTES: JOE CALLERO
BERKELEY – Junior forward Brian Bennett recorded a season-high 16 points and junior wing David Nwaba (right) added a season-best 14, but the Cal Poly men's basketball program – after closing within three points of California early in the second half – saw the Golden Bears finish on a 34-17 run with the Mustangs falling 72-52 Wednesday evening inside Haas Pavilion.
Bennett added a team-leading six rebounds for Cal Poly (2-2), which was held to a 34.6 (18-for-52) percent field goal mark while conceding a 47.3 (26-for-55) percent mark to California (4-1).
The Mustangs, who entered Wednesday's matchup as the nation's leader in fewest turnovers per game, committed five on Wednesday to keep first place among NCAA Division I programs with just 6.0 per contest.
Cal Poly completes a two-game road trip when visiting Saint Mary's on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7 p.m.
A pair of three-pointers from senior forward Anthony Silvestri provided Cal Poly early 9-5 and 14-12 advantages, but during a first half that featured four tied scorelines and five lead changes, neither side led by more than four points until an 11-1 California run placed the Golden Bears up 23-15 six minutes before the break.
A Bennett layup and jumper from freshman guard Ridge Shipley quickly pulled Cal Poly back within four points of California's lead, but the Golden Bears – who shot 50.0 (13-for-26) in the first half – took a 31-24 advantage into the break courtesy of a basket from junior guard Tyrone Wallace with 30 seconds to play.
Forcing California into a 1-for-5 shooting start from the floor to open the second half, Cal Poly received a three-pointer from junior wing Joel Awich, a Nwaba dunk and two layups from senior guard Maliik Love to quickly close the gap to a 36-33 deficit with 15 minutes remaining.
Twice more the Mustangs closed within three points of California's lead, but down 38-35, Cal Poly conceded a 10-4 run and trailed 48-39 with nine minutes to play.
A Bennett jumper stemmed California's surge, but dunks by junior forward Christian Behrens on successive possessions provided the Golden Bears a double-digit lead they failed to relinquish.
Love added seven points for Cal Poly. With three assists, Love furthered his Big West Conference-leading totals for assists (20) and assist-to-turnover ratio (6.7-to-1).
Photo courtesy of Doug Ho
