Mustangs Back Home to Host CSU Bakersfield Wednesday

Wednesday, February 15

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

CSU Bakersfield

Tickets

Photo by: Eyasu Betwos

Mustangs Back Home to Host CSU Bakersfield Wednesday

2/14/2023 2:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE WEEKLY RELEASE

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program closes the regular season with four of six games at home inside Mott Athletics Center, a stretch starting on Wednesday, Feb. 15 against CSU Bakersfield. Tip time is 7 p.m. with action streamed on ESPN+ for Cal Poly (7-19, 1-13), which opened Big West Conference action with a Dec. 29 home victory against CSUN before dropping 13 straight – most recently falling at CSUN (Feb. 11), 64-53. Ranked 64th among NCAA Division I programs with a 74.6 percent free throw mark, Cal Poly – following Saturday's setback at CSUN – remained in 11th place in the Big West standings. The Big West's second lowest scoring program at 61.4 points per night, seventh place CSU Bakersfield (9-16, 5-9) saw a three-game winning streak snapped with a 79-69 home loss to Long Beach State (Feb. 11).

FOLLOW CAL POLY WEDNESDAY: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play coverage for ESPN+ of Wednesday's game against CSU Bakersfield HERE … Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer has the audio play-by-play call of both games for ESPN 1280 (San Luis Obispo County) and GoPoly.com HERE … live stats will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.

CAL POLY VERSUS CSU BAKERSFIELD: Cal Poly still 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 and prevailed in the Jan. 5 series opener, 61-51. Overall, CSU Bakersfield takes a nine-game winning streak into Wednesday'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 (39-25) and Division I (13-2) series.

KOROMA REMAINS CAL POLY'S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: One of Cal Poly's top two scorers for a third successive season, forward Alimamy Koroma leads the Mustangs with 10.2 points per game following a 17-point outing at UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 2) and a season high 23-point performance versus Idaho (Nov. 23). Sixth among Big West players with a 47.3 (96-for-203) percent field goal mark, Koroma – with 50 career double-digit scoring games (including a team leading 14 this season) – is averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.1 (397-for-793) percent through 102 collegiate outings and 70 starts. The 25th player in program history to score 1,000 points as a Mustang, Koroma ranks fifth all-time 83 career blocks, 15th with 484 collegiate rebounds and 22nd with 1,067 points.

TAYLOR MADE OUTPUT: Cal Poly's second leading scorer at 9.5 points per game and with a season best 21-point effort at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), senior guard Trevon Taylor completed a second career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20). Taylor also owns a 20-point night against UC San Diego (Jan. 19) and 13-point efforts at Washington (Dec. 13) and Long Beach State (Jan. 12) while grabbing a career best 11 rebounds versus Long Beach State (Jan. 26). Taylor, who has produced 12 double-digit scoring games this year, also leads Cal Poly with 5.2 rebounds 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 three times this year with a career best 23 points at Pacific (Nov. 28), 20 versus Portland State (Dec. 10) and 18 against UC San Diego (Jan. 19). With eight straight double-digit scoring games entering Wednesday's matchup versus CSU Bakersfield, Stevenson's most recent offensive efforts include a 12-point effort at UC Irvine (Feb. 9) and 13-point performance at CSUN (Feb. 11). The Dec. 5 Big West Player of the Week honoree, Stevenson leads Cal Poly with an 84.8 (39-for-46) percent free throw mark while ranking second with a 46.4 (91-for-196) percent field goal mark and third with 9.3 points per game.

SANDERS IN THE SCORING COLUMN: Junior guard Kobe Sanders has twice led Cal Poly in scoring through 14 Big West matchups, first finishing with a season best 17 points in a Dec. 29 conference-opening victory versus CSUN before recording 14 at CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 5). Sanders remains Cal Poly's fifth overall leading scorer at 7.9 points per game, but ranks second in the lineup in Big West play at 9.4 points per 14 conference games. With 19 starts in 23 appearances, Sanders also ranks second in the lineup with a 77.8 (42-for-54) percent free throw mark.

CHANCE THE SCORER: A 13-point performance during Cal Poly's Feb. 9 matchup at UC Irvine marked graduate guard Chance Hunter's ninth double-digit scoring game as a Mustang. Hunter has also scored a Cal Poly best 19 points against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 7) and 18 versus Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20). A starter in 17 of 26 matchups following an offseason transfer from California Baptist, Hunter ranks fourth in Cal Poly's lineup with 8.4 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.

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 and the program's only scheduled game outside of the Pacific Time Zone this season … transferring to Cal Poly with 854 combined points between Long Beach State (2019-21) and California Baptist (2021-22), graduate guard Chance Hunter recorded his 1,000th career point at Long Beach State (Jan. 12) … senior forward Alimamy Koroma became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 points as a Mustang after finishing with seven points against UC San Diego (Jan. 19) … Cal Poly's Jan. 26 home matchup with Long Beach State marked fourth year head coach John Smith's 100th regular season game in charge of the Mustangs … Cal Poly's 36-point output versus Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 28) marked the program's lowest total since a 43-36 loss at Cal State Los Angeles (Jan. 19, 1985).