Cal Poly Opens Big West Tournament Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. versus UC Davis

Tuesday, March 8

Henderson, NV

8:30 p.m.

No. 7 UC Davis

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Opens Big West Tournament Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. versus UC Davis

3/6/2022 3:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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SAN LUIS OBISPO – Following back-to-back home victories to close the regular season, 10th-seeded Cal Poly opens the 2022 Big West Conference Tournament at the against No. 7 UC Davis in an opening-round matchup on Tuesday, March 8. Tip time from the Dollar Loan Center (Henderson, Nev.) is 8:30 p.m. The winner of Tuesday's second opening-round matchup (No. 8 CSUN faces No. 9 CSU Bakersfield in the first) advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 2 Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m. Squaring off against UC Davis (12-10) at the Big West Tournament for the first time in five years and third time overall, Cal Poly (7-20) edged the Aggies, 82-74, in the lone regular season matchup on Jan. 15 (the scheduled Feb. 17 matchup at UC Davis was cancelled due to COVID protocols). After dropping eight straight games from Jan. 29 to Feb. 24, Cal Poly closed the regular season with successive wins against UC Irvine (March 3) and UC San Diego (March 5) to climb to a ninth-place tie in the final Big West standings. Ranked second among Big West programs with a 44.8 percent field goal mark, UC Davis dropped its final two matchups of the regular season at the tournament's top two seeds: Long Beach State (March 3) and Cal State Fullerton (March 5).

MEDIA ADVISORY, WE ARE CAL POLY: When referring to any Cal Poly athletics program, please use only "Cal Poly" to denote the school. Please refrain from using names such as "Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo," "Cal Poly-SLO," "CPSU," "Cal Poly State" and "Polytechnic State University." Cal Poly is a separate institution from Division II Cal Poly Pomona.

FOLLOW CAL POLY AT THE BIG WEST TOURNAMENT: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play for each of Cal Poly's Big West Tournament games for ESPN 1280 in San Luis Obispo County and on GoPoly.com HERE … streaming video of every Big West Tournament will be available through ESPN+ with live stats available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY AT THE BIG WEST TOURNAMENT: Cal Poly is 11-16 in 17 previous Big West Tournament appearances and, aside from capturing the 2014 title, the Mustangs have advanced to the championship game in 2003 and 2007. Cal Poly has reached the semifinals in six of 17 Big West Tournament appearances (2003, 2006-07, 2012-14). Cal Poly's three semifinal losses occurred in 2006, when the fourth-seeded Mustangs fell versus No. 1 Pacific (68-57); 2012, when fourth-seeded Cal Poly dropped a 64-52 decision against No. 2 UC Santa Barbara, and in 2013, when a last-second Pacific shot eliminated third-seeded Cal Poly, 55-53. Overall, Cal Poly is 8-9 during its first tournament game, 3-3 in semifinal matchups and 1-2 in championship games.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS: Cal Poly's 82-74 home victory against UC Davis (Jan. 15) snapped a nine-game slide against the Aggies. Due to COVID protocols the scheduled Feb. 17 matchup at UC Davis was cancelled. Cal Poly leads the all-time series (36-29) while UC Davis leads the Division I series (22-15).

CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS AT THE BIG WEST TOURNAMENT: The Mustangs and Aggies have met just twice prior at the Big West Tournament, both in quarterfinal-round matchups. During the first meeting on March 14, 2013, Cal Poly led UC Davis at halftime, 20-19, before outscoring the Aggies in the second half, 44-22, and exploding for a 64-41 victory. In 2017, eventual champion UC Davis eliminated Cal Poly in the quarterfinals, 66-55.

BIG WEST SEEDING: Tuesday's Big West Tournament opening-round matchup marks the 11th consecutive game where Cal Poly will play as a lower seed. Seeded 10th last season, Cal Poly played as the lower seed during an 87-82, opening-round win against Cal State Fullerton and 58-51 quarterfinal loss to UC Irvine. Previously, Cal Poly lost quarterfinal games as a lower seed from 2015-2018, played as the lower seed during all three matchups during the 2014 title run and was eliminated as a lower seed by Pacific in the 2013 semifinals. Cal Poly last played as a higher seed in 2013, eliminating sixth-seeded UC Davis in the quarterfinals, 64-41.

FIVE FOR FIGHTING: With seven Mustangs currently averaging at least 21.0 minutes per game, Cal Poly has used 13 different starting lineups this season. Cal Poly has not used the same starting lineup more than six times.

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 18 double-digit scoring outings, including a career best 27-point effort versus UC Irvine (March 3) and 26-point night as half of his fourth career double-double at UC Riverside (Feb. 19) – ranks 11th among Big West players with 13.7 points per game. Having also scored 23 points against Nicholls State (Nov. 22), 21 versus UC Davis (Jan. 15) and 20 against CSUN (Feb. 10), Koroma has shot 50 percent or higher in a game 16 times and ranks third among Big West players with a 50.7 (142-for-280) percent field goal mark. Now Cal Poly's leader at 5.6 rebounds per game following an 11-board performance at UC Riverside, Koroma matched a career best with 12 rebounds at Long Beach State (Feb. 5). With 36 career double-digit scoring games, Koroma is averaging 10.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5 (296-for-586) percent through 75 collegiate outings and 47 starts. On 60 career blocks – a total that includes a five-block performance versus UC Davis (Jan. 15) – Koroma enters Tuesday's game tied for eighth in program history and one ahead of senior forward Tuukka Jaakkola (59).

TAYLOR PRODUCES AT BOTH ENDS: An offseason transfer from James Madison by way of Wyoming, junior guard Trevon Taylor produced his 11th double-digit scoring game as a Mustang with 13 points against UC San Diego (March 5) and ranks second in the lineup with a 46.5 (74-for-159) percent field goal mark and third with 8.5 points per night. Taylor, who scored a career best 27 points at Portland (Dec. 13) and added 17 at UC San Diego (Jan. 27), remains one of only three Mustangs with a double-double thus far after scoring 15 points and grabbing a career best 10 rebounds against Sacramento State (Nov. 15). With six rebounds versus UC San Diego (March 5), Taylor ranks second in the lineup at 5.5 boards per game. Having also grabbed nine rebounds versus Nicholls State (Nov. 22) and California Baptist (Dec. 2), Taylor has started 25 of 27 matchups.

PIERCE'S DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS: Now second in Cal Poly's lineup with 8.9 points per game, sophomore point guard Camren Pierce ranks second among Big West players with 111 total assists and 4.1 per game. Having distributed a career best 11 assists versus UC San Diego (March 5) and eight at San Diego (Dec. 5) and versus UC Davis (Jan. 15), Pierce has produced six-plus assists seven times this season. Offensively, Pierce – who scored a career best 16 points versus Hawai'i and 15 at California Baptist (Dec. 2), against UC Davis and at Hawai'i (Feb. 24) – owns 13 double-digit scoring games this season. Cal Poly's leading free throw shooter and ranked third among Big West players at 83.9 (73-for-87) percent, Pierce enters Tuesday's matchup versus UC Davis having converted 45 of his previous 49 opportunities.

STEVENSON CLIMBS THE SCORING CHART: Averaging 12.6 points per Cal Poly's last seven matchups, sophomore forward Brantly Stevenson has scored in double figures in six of the last nine games, most recently matching a career best with 17 versus UC San Diego (March 5). Having also scored 17 points against CSUN (Feb. 10), Stevenson – a starter in 19 of 27 games – remains fourth in the lineup at 8.4 points per night.

SCHEDULING HOLES: Cal Poly's scheduled Feb. 17 visit to UC Davis marked the fifth contest Cal Poly has had cancelled this season due to COVID protocols. Previously, the Mustangs saw their final non-conference game at No. 4 UCLA (Dec. 22) halted before the opening three scheduled Big West games were cancelled.

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 … Cal Poly's nine-game road trip (Nov. 19-Jan. 8) was 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 … Cal Poly's 22-day gap between games from Dec. 17 to Jan. 8 was the fifth lengthiest stretch of any Division I program this year … Cal Poly's 59-day gap between a Nov. 15 matchup versus Sacramento State and a Jan. 13 contest against UC Riverside was – by 17 days more than Manhattan – the lengthiest stretch between home games of any Division I program this season … Cal Poly's 57-46 home loss versus UC Riverside marked the program's 800th Division I game (1994-95-) … Cal Poly snapped a nine-game series slide against UC Davis with an 82-74 home victory (Jan. 15) … Cal Poly's 59-55 win at UC San Diego (Jan. 27) marked the program's first meeting with the Tritons as a Big West opponent, first matchup against UCSD since Nov. 18, 2005 and first visit to UCSD since Jan. 11, 1977 … Cal Poly's 83-78 double-overtime home loss to CSUN marked the program's lengthiest game since a four-overtime setback at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 15, 2020 … Cal Poly's 78-58 setback at UC Riverside (Feb. 19) marked the program's 400th Big West Conference game … Cal Poly's Feb. 24 visit to Hawai'i marked just the program's third game outside of California this season and first outside the Pacific Time Zone … during a 65-54 home victory against UC Irvine (March 3), Cal Poly set a new program record for single game free throw percentage with a 17-for-17 performance and broke a 10-game winless run versus the Anteaters.