4-14,1-3Big Wes
UC Riverside
13-8,3-2Big Wes
Three-Pointers Send Cal Poly to Thursday Defeat at UC Riverside
1/23/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE – Sophomore guard Junior Ballard led the Cal Poly men's basketball program with 16 points Thursday evening, but UC Riverside sank 16 three-pointers inside SRC Arena to pull away for a 97-64 victory against the Mustangs.
Graduate guard Jamal Smith added 12 points for Cal Poly (4-14, 1-3 Big West), which trailed UC Riverside, 16-14, with 12 minutes remaining in the opening half before the Highlanders scored 32 points heading into the break. UC Riverside (13-8, 3-2), which buried seven three-pointers in the first half and nine more in the second, shot 53.3 (16-for-30) percent from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Job Alexander (10 points; above) and junior wing Mark Crowe (nine) each enjoyed new season scoring highs for Cal Poly.
The 16 three-pointers from UC Riverside marked the highest total by a Cal Poly opponent since Princeton hit 16 against the Mustangs on Dec. 16, 2017.
Cal Poly completes its current three-game road trip with a 7 p.m. matchup at Big West leader UC Irvine on Saturday, Jan. 25.
During Thursday's matchup, Cal Poly shortened UC Riverside's early advantage to 16-14 by compiling a 7-0 run that required just 51 seconds. The Highlanders, however, responded with a 15-2 run of their own, keeping Cal Poly to a solitary bucket during a six-minute span to regain a 31-16 lead six-and-a-half minutes before the break.
Crowe answered for Cal Poly, sinking three-pointers on successive possessions to help shorten UC Riverside's advantage to 32-24 with five minutes remaining in the half.
That was close as Cal Poly drew the remainder of the evening, however, as UC Riverside – which sank three three-pointers during the final two minutes of the half – took a 48-29 lead into the break.
