Cal Poly Renews Fresno State Series Friday at 7 p.m.

Friday, December 17

Fresno, CA

7 P.M.

Fresno State

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Renews Fresno State Series Friday at 7 p.m.

12/16/2021 12:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE WEEKLY RELEASE

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Nearing the end of a nine-game road trip, the Cal Poly men's basketball program resumes its series against Fresno State following a year hiatus when visiting the Bulldogs on Friday, Dec. 17. Tip time from the Save Mart Center is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (3-7), which closed the Pacific Northwest portion of its road trip with a 78-77 loss at Portland (Dec. 13) – the program's third one-point defeat this season. Cal Poly (3-7) and Fresno State (8-2) had squared off each year between the 2011-12 and 2019-20 seasons before the series was halted last year. Winners of three of its last four games, Fresno State has already defeated two Big West Conference opponents, most recently handing UC Irvine a 63-55 setback in its last outing on Dec. 11. The Bulldogs are 6-0 inside the Save Mart Center this season.

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play for ESPN 1280 (San Luis Obispo County) and GoPoly.com of Friday's matchup at Fresno State … live stats and streaming video from the game will also be available via GoPoly.com.

CAL POLY VERSUS FRESNO STATE: Cal Poly seeks just its second victory at Fresno State in the last 21 trips and 59 years and first road win versus the Bulldogs since a 65-46 victory on Dec. 17, 2011 (a matchup in which current Mustang assistant coach David Hanson became the 21st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points). Winners of four straight versus Cal Poly, Fresno State prevailed during the last meeting in San Luis Obispo on Dec. 14, 2019 (62-37). The Bulldogs lead both the all-time (51-19) and Division I (12-2) series.

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: Cal Poly's current nine-game road trip is the program's lengthiest since playing 12 successive games away from home during the 1970-71 season (Dec. 12-Jan. 22). Cal Poly also played nine straight road games to open the 1968-69 season.

CLOSE, BUT …: Seven of Cal Poly's 10 games thus far have been decided by four points or fewer with the Mustangs holding just a 2-5 record in those outcomes. Cal Poly's two victories were a 67-63, neutral-site win against Idaho (Nov. 24) and a 61-58 decision at Portland State (Dec. 11). Excluding an 87-57 loss at Santa Clara (Nov. 19), Cal Poly's remaining six defeats have come by an average of 3.0 points per game. The Mustangs have already sustained three one-point defeats versus Sacramento State (Nov. 15), San Diego (Dec. 5) and Portland (Dec. 13) and an overtime loss to Nicholls State (Nov. 22).

KOROMA CONTINUES SCORING WAYS: One of Cal Poly's top two scorers for a second straight season, junior forward Alimamy Koroma – fueled by a team leading seven double-digit scoring outings, including a career best 23-point effort against Nicholls State (Nov. 22) – ranks seventh among Big West players with 13.3 points per game. Koroma, who added 19 points against Sacramento State (Nov. 15), also leads Cal Poly and ranks third among Big West players with a 55.1 (54-for-98) percent field goal mark. With 26 career double-digit scoring games, Koroma is averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 (211-for-410) percent through 58 collegiate outings.

TAYLOR ON THE BOARDS: An offseason transfer from James Madison by way of Wyoming, junior guard Trevon Taylor surpassed his previous collegiate scoring best as a 27-point performance at Portland (Dec. 13) remains the second highest offensive output by a Mustang this season. One of only two Mustangs with a double-double thus far after scoring a Cal Poly best 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against Sacramento State (Nov. 15), Taylor maintains the program's rebounding lead with 5.9 boards per night. Having also grabbed nine rebounds versus Nicholls State (Nov. 22) and California Baptist (Dec. 2), Taylor has started nine of 10 matchups while ranking third in the lineup with 8.5 points per game.

THE GRADUATE: Seven games in a Cal Poly uniform and five double-digit scoring outings for graduate guard Jacob Davison, who enters Friday's matchup at Fresno State as the program's second leading scorer with 11.9 points per night. An offseason transfer after helping Eastern Washington to the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Davison scored 14 points in his Nov. 9 Cal Poly debut before finishing with a season high 19 points against North Dakota State (Nov. 12). Most recently, he notched 17 points at Portland (Dec. 13) and 16 at Portland State (Dec. 11). Through 116 collegiate appearances, Davison is averaging 12.5 points per game.

PIERCE'S DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS: One of only two Mustangs to start all 10 games alongside forward Alimamy Koroma, sophomore point guard Camren Pierce ranks fourth among Big West players with 3.9 assists per game. Highlighted by a career best eight-assist performance at San Diego (Dec. 5), Pierce has produced six-plus assists three times this season. Offensively, Pierce – who scored a career best 15 points at California Baptist (Dec. 2) – owns three double-digit scoring games this season and ranks fifth in Cal Poly's lineup with 7.8 points per evening.

LOOKING AHEAD: Cal Poly completes its nine-game road trip and Big West Conference preparations when visiting No. 4 UCLA on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Tip time from Pauley Pavilion is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly, which faces its first ranked opponent since falling at then-No. 18 Saint Mary's (Nov. 17, 2019). Cal Poly's 70-68 win at then-No. 11 UCLA on Nov. 25, 2012 – in which the Mustangs overturned an 18-point deficit with 12 minutes remaining – remains the program's first and only win against a ranked opponent at the Division I level.

ETC.: Since transitioning to the Division I level prior to the 1994-95 season, Cal Poly improved to 44-1 against non-Division I programs with an 86-53 home win against NAIA Westcliff (Nov. 9) … a 75-72 overtime loss versus Nicholls State (Nov. 22) marked Cal Poly's first all-time meeting against the Colonels … sophomore forward Kyle Colvin was name to SoCal Challenge All-Tournament Team (Nov. 24) after averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as Cal Poly finished third … Cal Poly captured third place at the inaugural SoCal Challenge (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) with a 67-63 victory versus Idaho (Nov. 24) … Cal Poly's 61-58 victory at Portland State marked the program's first road win since a 71-45 triumph at UC Riverside on Jan. 31, 2019.