Cal Poly Drops Season Finale in Overtime to UC Riverside, 73-72

Saturday, March 4

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

7-24,1-18Big West

UC Riverside

21-11,14-6Big West

Team	1	2	OT 1	F
UC Riverside	28	34	11	73
Cal Poly	29	33	10	72

Photo by: Owen Main

3/4/2023 10:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Junior forward Brantly Stevenson (above) finished with a career high 32 points – the highest scoring performance by a Mustang in three years – but the Cal Poly men's basketball program closed the regular season with a 73-72 overtime loss to UC Riverside Saturday evening inside Mott Athletics Center.

Senior forward Alimamy Koroma added 19 points for Cal Poly (7-24, 1-18), which trailed UC Riverside (21-11, 14-6), 60-56, with 82 seconds to play in regulation before Stevenson knocked down two of his 12 free throws and Koroma – following one of the Highlanders' 17 turnovers – converted a three-point play to hand the Mustangs a 61-60 lead.

With 40 seconds left, UC Riverside guard Zyon Pullin knocked down a jumper to hand the Highlanders the one-point lead. On the final possession of regulation, however, Pullin fouled out attempting to stop a potential Stevenson game-winning layup.

Stevenson though sank just one of two free throw attempts as the matchup went to overtime following Cal Poly's only missed free throw of the second half.

With Cal Poly playing its second overtime game of the season – and second versus UC Riverside following a 83-78 road loss (Jan. 16) – the Highlanders grabbed the fourth and final lead change of the extra period at 71-69 after forward Lachlan Olbrich hit a here-pointer with 19 seconds to play.

Koroma brought Cal Poly's deficit back down to one with a free throw and, with the Mustangs forced to foul, Highlanders guard Jamal Hartwell II sank both of his attempts to provide UC Riverside a 73-70 lead.

During the game's final sequence, Cal Poly mustered just a Stevenson field goal to fall a point short.

Graduate guard Chance Hunter grabbed a team high eight rebounds for Cal Poly, which entered play Saturday already the No. 10 seed for the Big West Championships. The Mustangs will play seventh-seeded Long Beach State (17-15, 11-9) in the opening round on Tuesday, March 7. Tip time from the Dollar Loan Center (Henderson, Nev.) is 8:30 p.m.

The winner of Tuesday's matchup advances to a Thursday, March 9 quarterfinal date against No. 2 UC Santa Barbara (24-7, 15-5) at 6 p.m.