5-10, 0-1BWC
UC Davis
10-7, 2-0BWC
Last-Minute Rally Comes up Short for Cal Poly at UC Davis
1/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DAVIS – Junior forward Luke Meikle scored a team leading 16 points while senior forward Zach Gordon (above) grabbed a career high 14 rebounds, but the Cal Poly men's basketball program – after nearly overturning a seven-point deficit with 56 seconds to play – dropped a 68-64 decision versus UC Davis inside The Pavilion Saturday evening.
Senior guard Kyle Toth added 13 points while senior guard Ridge Shipley finished with 11 for Cal Poly (5-10, 0-1), which trailed UC Davis 60-53 with under a minute remaining in its Big West Conference opener. The Mustangs, however, received three-pointers from Shipley and Meikle on successive possessions to move within one point of the Aggie lead.
Cal Poly climbed within a point of UC Davis twice more in the final minute but, with the Mustangs forced to foul to regain possession, the Aggies sank eight straight free throws in the final 21 seconds – after hitting just 11 of their first 22 attempts – to keep the game out of reach.
With four seconds remaining and Cal Poly trailing 66-63, Mustang sophomore guard Donovan Fields was fouled looking to line up a potential game-tying three-pointer. He knocked down one free throw, missed the second and Cal Poly was forced to foul once more. UC Davis guard Darius Graham subsequently knocked down both of his free throw attempts for the 68-64 scoreline.
Cal Poly, which committed just nine turnovers, hosts Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in its Big West home opener.
Cal Poly utilized three-pointers from Meikle and Shipley to help overturn an early 8-2 deficit. Sophomore forward Aleks Abrams then completed a three-point play six minutes into action to provide Cal Poly its first lead at 13-10.
UC Davis responded by holding Cal Poly to just one field goal during an ensuing four-minute span. Trailing 19-15, however, Cal Poly received layups from junior forward Josh Mishler and Toth before Meikle hit the second of his four three-pointers to place the Mustangs up 23-21 six minutes prior to the break.
The lead changed sides three more times down the first-half stretch before UC Davis closed the opening period with a 10-2 run. An Abrams tip-in with one second remaining in the first half brought the Mustangs to a 34-30 deficit at the break.
Twice Cal Poly climbed within one point of the UC Davis lead early in the second half before a Toth step-back jumper allowed the Mustangs to overtake the Aggies at 38-37 with 14-and-a-half minutes to play.
Neither side led by more than a possession until UC Davis cobbled together a 10-2, four-minute run to go up 52-44 at the eight-minute mark.
Held without a basket for three minutes, the Mustangs answered the eight-point deficit with a Meikle three-pointer and Toth layup.
The Mustangs once more closed the gap to three-points at 54-51 following a Gordon jumper, but climbed no closer until the 60-59 scoreline with 24 seconds remaining.
