7-10, 1-3BWC
CSUN
7-12, 2-3BWC
Late Three-Pointer Sends Cal Poly Men's Basketball to 76-74 Defeat
1/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NORTHRIDGE – Seniors Brian Bennett and David Nwaba (above) each finished with a team high 14 points Thursday evening, but the Cal Poly men's basketball program – after leading by 11 points with nine-and-a-half minutes to play – saw CSUN guard Jerron Wilbut knock down a three-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to hand the hosts a 76-74 win inside The Matadome.
Bennett added a team high seven rebounds for Cal Poly (7-10, 1-3), which shot a season best 53.7 (29-for-54) percent and held CSUN (7-12, 2-3) scoreless for nearly six minutes midway through the second half to take its 11-point lead. With the Mustangs still up 68-61 and five minutes to play, CSUN finished the matchup on a 15-6 run as two free throws by guard Aaron Parks with 51 seconds remaining brought the Matadors within one point of Cal Poly before Wilubt eventually sank the game-winning shot.
Cal Poly enjoyed one final opportunity to change the outcome in regulation as senior guard Reese Morgan missed a layup with seven seconds to play. Morgan retained the rebound, but out of a Cal Poly timeout, his three-point attempt from the left corner as time expired bounded off the rim.
With his 14 points, Bennett moved within six points of becoming the 22nd player in Cal Poly history to score 1,000. Nwaba, meanwhile, rebounded his team leading 12th double-digit scoring game
Senior forward Joel Awich added nine points for Cal Poly, which closes a two-game road trip at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Jan. 23. Tip time is 4 p.m. with action broadcasted via ESPN3.
Two three-pointers from sophomore forward Luke Meikle and a Bennett layup inside the opening four minutes erased an early Cal Poly deficit and provided the Mustangs an 8-2 lead.
CSUN closed within two points of Cal Poly's lead three times and, facing a 21-13 disadvantage, the Matadors mustered a 17-9 run to deadlock the matchup at 30-30 four minutes before halftime.
Awich broke the tie with a three-pointer, but CSUN surged ahead briefly at 36-35 on a layup by guard Jason Richardson. The lead switch hands three more times during the half's final 90 seconds with two Nwaba free throws placing Cal Poly in the 40-39 ascendancy at the break.
Cal Poly shot 57.7 (15-for-26) percent during the first half, but conceded a 54.8 (17-for-31) percent mark to CSUN.
The lead switched sides a further four times during the second half's opening five-and-a-half minutes and neither program led by more than three points until layups from Nwaba, Bennett, Awich and two by freshman forward Josh Martin lifted Cal Poly to a 58-47 lead with nine-and-a-half minutes remaining.
Held scoreless for nearly six minutes, CSUN responded with a 19-10 run in the space of five minutes to close its gap to 68-66 with four minutes to play. Through the second of Wilbut's three three-pointers, the Matadors then moved to a 72-71 deficit with two minutes left.
An Awich layup with a minute remaining placed Cal Poly up three points before Parks knocked down his free throws and Wilbut sank the game-winner.
