Cal Poly Visits CSU Bakersfield Thursday, Hosts UCSB Saturday

Thursday, January 5

Bakersfield, CA

7 p.m.

CSU Bakersfield

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Visits CSU Bakersfield Thursday, Hosts UCSB Saturday

1/2/2023 3:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE WEEKLY RELEASE

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program opens the 2023 calendar year and closes its first Big West Conference road trip of the season when visiting CSU Bakersfield on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. Cal Poly then returns home to host Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 7 in a 1 p.m. matchup broadcast via Spectrum Sports. Both games will also be streamed through ESPN+ for Cal Poly (7-7, 1-1), which resumes action after nearly overturning a 16-point deficit during a New Year's Eve setback at Hawai'i. CSU Bakersfield (4-9, 0-2), averaging a Big West low 60.8 points per game, but conceding just 61.5 points per night, dropped its opening two Big West matchups at UC Riverside (Dec. 29) and versus UC Irvine (Dec. 31). UC Santa Barbara (11-2, 2-0), meanwhile, extended its winning streak to seven straight with Big West-opening wins at Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 29) and versus UC San Diego (Dec. 31).

FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play coverage for ESPN+ and Spectrum Sports from Saturday's home matchup with UC Santa Barbara HERE … Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer has the audio play-by-play call for ESPN 1280 (San Luis Obispo County) and GoPoly.com of Thursday's game at CSU Bakersfield and Saturday's contest with UC Santa Barbara HERE … live stats from both matchups will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS CSU BAKERSFIELD: Cal Poly seeks its first victory against CSU Bakersfield as a Big West opponent as the Roadrunners – who joined the conference ahead of the 2020-21 season – swept each of the last two season series. Overall, CSU Bakersfield takes an eight-game winning streak into Thursday's matchup dating to a Nov. 16, 2011 victory in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly's last victory against the Roadrunners was a 77-61 decision on Jan. 29, 2011 in Bakersfield. With the two programs California Collegiate Athletic Association foes between the 1972-73 and 1993-94 seasons, CSU Bakersfield leads both the all-time (38-25) and Division I (12-2) series.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SANTA BARBARA: The most frequent opponent in Cal Poly's program history with the 115th matchup coming Saturday, UC Santa Barbara has won nine straight against the Mustangs and 16 of the last 17 matchups. Cal Poly's last victory against the Gauchos was an 80-79 home decision (Jan. 4, 2018) in which the Mustangs overturned a 21-point, first-half deficit. UC Santa Barbara leads both the all-time (79-35) and Division I (45-14) series.

MUSTANGS FROM THE LINE: Cal Poly enters Thursday's matchup at CSU Bakersfield ranked 47th among 352 Division I programs with a Big West leading 75.0 (174-for-232) percent free throw mark. Highlighted by a 9-for-9 performance against San Diego Christian (Dec. 22) and a 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) outing versus California Baptist (Dec. 3), Cal Poly has shot better than 81 percent from the free throw line seven times.

MUSTANG 1K CLUB: Two Mustangs have the opportunity this season to reach 1,000 career points. Graduate guard Chance Hunter will have the first opportunity with 977 career points scored at Cal Poly (2022-), California Baptist (2021-22) and Long Beach State (2019-21). Next, senior forward Alimamy Koroma – currently with 965 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 11.6 points per game following a season high 23-point performance versus Idaho (Nov. 23) and 19-point effort against California Baptist (Dec. 3). Ranked second among Big West players and 90th among Division I players with a 52.3 (58-for-111) percent field goal mark, Koroma – with 46 career double-digit scoring games (including 10 this season) – is averaging 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5 (358-for-709) percent through 90 collegiate outings and 61 starts. He requires 35 more points to become just the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Koroma also ranks sixth in program history with 70 career blocks and 21st with 434 collegiate rebounds.

TAYLOR MADE OUTPUT: Cal Poly's second leading scorer at 10.2 points per game and 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. His most recent efforts include a 10-point, nine-rebound effort to fuel Cal Poly's Big West-opening victory versus CSUN (Dec. 22) and a 10-point showing at Hawai'i (Dec. 31). The only Mustang to start all 14 games this season, Taylor – who has produced eight double-digit scoring games in his last 12 outings – also leads Cal Poly with 5.3 rebounds per game.

CHANCE THE SCORER: An 11-point performance during Cal Poly's 67-57 home victory against CSUN (Dec. 29) marked graduate guard Chance Hunter's sixth double-digit scoring game as a Mustang. Hunter also scored a Cal Poly-best 18 points against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20) before adding 15 versus California Baptist (Dec. 3). A starter in 13 of 14 matchups, Hunter is Cal Poly's third leading scorer with 8.8 points per game.

STEVENSON'S CAREER DAYS: Forward Brantly Stevenson had never scored more than 17 points in a collegiate game entering his junior season, but has bettered the total twice this year with a career best 23 points at Pacific (Nov. 28) and 20 versus Portland State (Dec. 10). The Dec. 5 Big West Player of the Week honoree, Stevenson remains second in Cal Poly's lineup with a 45.3 (43-for-95) percent field goal mark and fourth with 8.1 points per game while averaging 4.1 rebounds per night.

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.

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 47-1 against non-Division I programs with a 72-59 home victory against NAIA San Diego Christian (Dec. 22) … 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 … Cal Poly held Portland State to its lowest scoring output in eight seasons during a 72-49 victory (Dec. 10) … Cal Poly's four-game win streak from Nov. 23-Dec. 10 marked the program's lengthiest since November 2015 … Cal Poly's 67-57 home win against CSUN (Dec. 29) marked the program's first Big West opening-night victory since the 2017-18 season … Cal Poly's Dec. 31 matchup at Hawai'i marked the final Division I men's game of the 2022 calendar year.