Winning Streaks Clash as Cal Poly Hosts Portland State Saturday

Saturday, December 10

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

Portland State

Tickets

Photo by: Owen Main

Winning Streaks Clash as Cal Poly Hosts Portland State Saturday

12/8/2022 2:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE GAME PREVIEW

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program seeks its first four-game winning streak in seven years when closing a home stand on Saturday, Dec. 10 against Portland State. Tip time from Mott Athletics Center is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (4-3), which owns successive wins against Idaho (Nov. 23), at Pacific (Nov. 28) and California Baptist (Dec. 3) and can secure its first four-game winning streak since November 2015 with a victory Saturday. Also winners of three straight – including an 83-71 triumph versus Oregon State (Nov. 27) – Portland State ranks ninth among 352 NCAA programs with 85.3 points per game. The Vikings also concede 71.6 points per game and have allowed 80-plus points four times in seven outings against Division I opposition this season.

FOLLOW CAL POLY: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play coverage for ESPN+ of Saturday's matchup with Portland State HERE … Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer has the audio play-by-play call for ESPN 1280 (San Luis Obispo County) and GoPoly.com HERE … live stats will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS PORTLAND STATE: Facing Portland State last season for the first time in 12 years, the Mustangs prevailed on the road, 61-58 (Dec. 11). Having alternated victories in the previous eight matchups, the two programs last met in San Luis Obispo on Dec. 17, 2008 with Cal Poly prevailing, 65-62. Portland State leads the all-time series, 5-4.

MUSTANG 1K CLUB: Three Mustangs will have the opportunity this season to reach 1,000 career points. Senior guard Trevon Taylor will have the first opportunity, with 955 career points scored amongst Cal Poly (2021-), James Madison (2020-21) and Wyoming (2018-20). Next, graduate guard Chance Hunter enters Saturday's home matchup with Portland State on 921 points scored at Cal Poly (2022-), California Baptist (2021-22) and Long Beach State (2019-21). Senior forward Alimamy Koroma – currently with 898 points – can become the 25th four-year Mustang to reach 1,000 in a career this season.

KOROMA REMAINS CAL POLY'S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: One of Cal Poly's top two scorers for a third successive season, forward Alimamy Koroma once again leads the program with 13.7 points per game following a season high 23-point performance versus Idaho (Nov. 23) and 19-point effort against California Baptist (Dec. 3). With a Big West leading 57.9 (33-for-57) percent field goal mark, Koroma also ranks 51st among NCAA Division I shooters. With 41 career double-digit scoring games (including five this season), Koroma is averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8 (333-for-655) percent through 83 collegiate outings and 54 start. He requires 102 more points to become just the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Koroma also ranks eighth in program history with 65 career blocks.

TAYLOR MADE OUTPUT: Cal Poly's second leading scorer at 10.4 points per game with a season best 17-point performance against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20), senior guard Trevon Taylor completed a second career double-double with 10 rebounds versus The Mount. The only Mustang to start all seven games this season, Taylor – who has produced three straight double-digit scoring games in his last four outings – also leads Cal Poly with 5.4 rebounds per game.

STEVENSON'S CAREER DAY: With a 10-for-13 shooting performance to fuel a career best 23-point evening at Pacific (Nov. 28), junior forward Brantly Stevenson – the Dec. 5 Big West Player of the Week honoree – now ranks as the program's fourth leading scorer with 9.3 points per game. Shooting 53.3 (24-for-45) percent from the floor, Stevenson is also Cal Poly's leading free throw shooter at 86.7 percent.

CHANCE THE SCORER: A 15-point performance during Cal Poly's 64-53 home victory against former program California Baptist (Dec. 5) marked graduate guard Chance Hunter's third double-digit scoring game as a Mustang. Cal Poly's leading three-point shooter at 45.2 (14-for-31) percent, Hunter scored a Cal Poly-best 18 points against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20). A starter in six of seven matchups, Hunter remains Cal Poly's third leading scorer with 9.6 points per game.

THE SMITHS: With the addition of Jamal Smith – son of fourth-year head coach John Smith – as director of operations, Cal Poly is one of only three Division I programs with that familial distinction. Louisiana Monroe features head coach Keith Richard and director of operations Luke while North Florida counts head coach Matthew Driscoll alongside operations director and son, Chase.

LOOKING AHEAD (TUESDAY, DEC. 13): Cal Poly plays just two of its 32 regular season games outside of California with the first coming on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Washington. Tip time from Alaska Airlines Arena is 7:30 p.m. with action broadcast via Pac-12 Networks. Cal Poly has faced Washington just twice prior, falling in Seattle on Dec. 20, 2012 (75-62) and Dec. 20, 2016 (77-61).

ETC.: Cal Poly is in its 79th season as a four-year program and 29th at the Division I level … since transitioning to the Division I level prior to the 1994-95 season, Cal Poly improved to 45-1 against non-Division I programs with a 94-59 home win against NCCAA Bethesda University (Nov. 7) … Cal Poly's 73-68 home setback versus Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 18) marked the program's first all-time matchup versus The Mount and just the fourth all-time game against a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent … forward Alimamy Koroma and guard Trevon Taylor earned spots on the California Thanksgiving Jam all-tournament team (Nov. 20, 23) … Cal Poly's 58.3 (30-for-51) percent field goal mark in an 82-71 home victory against Idaho (Nov. 23) marked the highest single game total under fourth-year head coach John Smith … Cal Poly's seven turnovers versus Idaho were the fewest amount since finishing with seven against UC Riverside on Jan. 16, 2021 … due to health and safety protocols with Pepperdine, Cal Poly's Nov. 30 road matchup with the Waves was cancelled.