5-5
Gonzaga
11-1
Cal Poly Falls Down the Stretch to No. 8 Gonzaga, 63-50
12/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE – Junior wing David Nwaba (right) led all players with a season-high 21 points, but the Cal Poly men's basketball program – despite staying within single digits of No. 8 Gonzaga for a majority of the second half – was unable to overtake the Bulldogs inside KeyArena on Saturday evening and fell in the 2014 Battle in Seattle, 63-50.
Junior forward Brian Bennett added nine points for the Mustangs (5-5) who, playing the second highest ranked opponent in program history, forced Gonzaga (11-1) into 16 turnovers. Gonzaga, which came into the 12th edition of the Battle in Seattle averaging 85.5 points per game this season, was held under 65 points for just the second time this year.
Playing game No. 4 of a five-game, 12-day road trip – the program's lengthiest road trip in 35 seasons – Cal Poly enjoyed a team-leading five rebounds apiece from Nwaba and junior guard Reese Morgan.
Cal Poly closes its five-game road trip when visiting Santa Clara on Tuesday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m.
Through four Nwaba layups inside the opening five minutes, Cal Poly forced its way into an early 8-4 advantage. Despite starting 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) from the floor, Cal Poly kept the Bulldogs without an offensive rebound for the opening 11 minutes.
The Mustangs still led 13-9 midway through the first half following a three-pointer from sophomore guard Ridge Shipley, but Gonzaga limited Cal Poly to just a pair of Nwaba buckets during a five-and-a-half minute span to grab a 22-17 lead.
A three-pointer by Morgan cut Cal Poly's deficit to 22-20 three-and-a-half minutes before the break, but the Mustangs were held scoreless the remainder of the way as the Bulldogs took a 28-20 lead into halftime.
Junior forward Joel Awich hit a jumper in the lane to open Cal Poly's second half, but Gonzaga – fortified by three-pointers from senior guard Kevin Pangos on successive possessions – was able to stretch its lead to 38-26 with 16 minutes remaining.
However, Cal Poly – which shot 63.6 (7-for-11) percent to open the second half – required just two minutes to claw back as a Nwaba dunk and layup and a three-point play by Bennett helped comprise an 8-0 run to bring the Mustangs to a 38-34 deficit.
Pangos, though, knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the night a minute later. Shipley countered with a layup at the 12-minute mark to slice Cal Poly's deficit to 41-36, but that was as close as the Mustangs would come down the stretch.
