4-9, 0-0Big Wes
UTA
9-4, 0-0Sun Bel
Mustangs Wrap Non-Conference Road Stretch with Loss at UTA
12/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior forward Kuba Niziol (above) led the Cal Poly men's basketball program with a career high 16 points after hitting four three-pointers Thursday evening, but an 18-4, second-half run from UTA helped the host Mavericks outdistance the Mustangs inside College Park Center, 77-56.
Senior guard Victor Joseph added 15 points for Cal Poly (4-9), which trailed UTA (9-4) 42-39 with 14-and-a-half minutes to play before being held to just two field goals during an ensuing 10-minute span. In the first all-time meeting versus UTA and Cal Poly's first matchup against a Sun Belt Conference representative in eight seasons, the Mustangs also received 11 points from senior forward Luke Meikle.
Junior forward Josh Martin added six rebounds for Cal Poly while freshman wing Mark Crowe was one of three Mustangs with five rebounds to set a new career high.
Cal Poly closes the non-conference portion of its regular season schedule when hosting Division II Notre Dame de Namur inside Mott Athletics Center on Saturday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m.
During a matchup that featured three lead changes inside the opening six minutes, Cal Poly held UTA to a 2-for-9 shooting start from the floor and – through three-pointers from Meikle, Joseph and Niziol – the Mustangs found themselves up 14-6 after 10 minutes.
UTA, an NIT quarterfinalist last season, answered by keeping Cal Poly scoreless for the next five minutes and, through a 12-0 run, regained an 18-14 lead. A tip-in from sophomore forward Hank Hollingsworth and Niziol's second three-pointer of the evening immediately swung the advantage back in Cal Poly's favor but, after three more tied scorelines and another lead change, the Mavericks ultimately took a 28-25 lead into the break.
Out of halftime, Cal Poly received a Meikle three-pointer and Joseph layup to regain a brief 30-28 lead two minutes into the period. Neither side led by more than a single possession for the next three minutes until a three-pointer from Mavericks guard Erick Neal handed UTA a 42-36 lead.
Another Niziol three-pointer on Cal Poly's ensuing possession dropped UTA's lead to three points, but the Mavericks came back with an 8-0 run to produce the evening's first double-digit lead at 50-39 with 11-and-a-half minutes to play en route to victory.
