Cal Poly Visits UC Riverside Thursday, Hosts UC San Diego Saturday

Thursday, January 11

Riverside, CA

7 p.m.

UC Riverside

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Visits UC Riverside Thursday, Hosts UC San Diego Saturday

1/9/2024 11:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program pursues its first Big West victory of the season when visiting UC Riverside on Thursday, Jan. 11 and hosting UC San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 13. Tip time on ESPN+ is 7 p.m. both evenings for Cal Poly (4-12, 0-4), which plays just its second Big West road game of the season through the opening five matchups when facing UC Riverside (6-10, 1-3). One of two Big West programs still seeking an initial conference victory, Cal Poly heads to UC Riverside trailing the sixth place Highlanders by just a game in the Big West standings. UC Riverside, which has won six straight home decisions against Cal Poly, enters Thursday's game having dropped two straight. Meanwhile, UC San Diego (9-6, 3-0) – following a 76-58 victory at Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 6) – is enjoying its first 3-0 Big West start in program history. The Tritons host Long Beach State (11-5, 3-1) Thursday before visiting Cal Poly.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: With UC Riverside the third most frequent opponent in Cal Poly's history and one of only three sides the Mustangs have faced more than 100 times (alongside UC Santa Barbara and CSUN), Thursday's matchup marks the 109th all-time series matchup since the first meeting on Dec. 22, 1968. UC Riverside, having won eight straight decisions against Cal Poly, leads the all-time series, 57-51. The Mustangs, whose last victory against UC Riverside was a 71-45 road win on Jan. 31, 2019, lead the Division I series, 28-22.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO: The Tritons claimed just their second all-time victory against Cal Poly – and first since Dec. 20, 1969 – with a 71-64 decision inside Mott Athletics Center (Jan. 19, 2023). Cal Poly leads both the all-time (9-2) and Division I (4-1) series against UC San Diego.

SANDERS KEEPS UP THE SCORING PACE: The first Mustang in five years with multiple 30-point games in one season, senior guard Kobe Sanders followed a 30-point effort against Omaha (Dec. 21) with a career best 33-point performance versus CSUN (Dec. 28). After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, Sanders has scored in double digits in all 16 games this year – including 22-point nights against San Jose State (Nov. 29) and UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 6) and 20-point showings at Portland State (Nov. 18) and Idaho (Dec. 2) – and remains fourth among Big West players with a team leading 18.8 points per game. Having led Cal Poly in scoring 11 times this season, Sanders – now with 32 career double-digit scoring games – is averaging 8.5 points per 87 collegiate outings. Equally proficient from the free throw line as the floor, Sanders – entering Thursday's matchup at UC Riverside having converted 33 of his last 36 attempts – ranks 23rd among NCAA Division I players with an 89.8 (97-for-108) percent free throw mark.

MORE PERFECT: With his 17-for-17 performance from the free throw line against CSUN (Dec. 28), guard Kobe Sanders eclipsed the Cal Poly single game record of 16 conversions, equaled twice by guard Lorenzo Keeler during the 2009-10 season and established by forward Gabe Stephenson in the 2005-06 campaign. Sanders also enjoyed the top free throw shooting game by any Division I player this season (four previous players finished 14-for-14 earlier this year). His 17 conversions are the second highest total in the nation this season.

THE GRADUATE: Playing for the first time in two years after missing last season through injury, graduate guard Jarred Hyder – having scored in double digits nine times this year – ranks second in the lineup with 10.8 points per game. Second in the Big West averaging a team leading 33.9 minutes per game, Hyder's most recent standout performance was a 13-point effort at UC Davis (Dec. 30) after finishing with 15 against CSUN (Dec. 28) and 14 versus Omaha (Dec. 21). His Cal Poly best 25-point effort at Wyoming (Nov. 9) was a performance one shy of his career best 26 while a freshman at Fresno State on Nov. 10, 2019. An offseason transfer from California, Hyder – a starter in 15 of 16 games – also scored 15 points at Denver.

Q-BALL: A career best 22-point performance versus Long Beach State (Jan. 4) marked the fifth double-digit scoring performance for freshman guard Quentin Jones this season. Third in Cal Poly's lineup with 9.0 points per games, Jones also owns a 21-point effort at Oregon State (Dec. 4) and a 17-point performance versus St. Thomas (Nov. 17). A starter in 15 of 16 matchups, Jones ranks sixth among Big West players with 1.6 steals per game and 11th at 31.4 minutes per outing.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 49.9 (207-for-415) percent career shooter and ranked ninth in program history with 60 career blocks, graduate forward Tuukka Jaakkola – after performing for Cal Poly from 2018-22, earning his bachelors degree and departing the university – has returned to utilize his renewable 2020-21 season. As one of a handful, if not the only Division I player in this situation, Jaakkola appeared in all 28 of Cal Poly's games during his 2021-22 senior season. Having appeared in 15 of 16 matchups this year with eight starts, Jaakkola scored a season best 11 points against Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) to chalk up his first double-digit scoring performance since a 10-point outing against Cal State Fullerton on March 9, 2021. He also grabbed a season best nine rebounds against both Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) and Omaha (Dec. 21). With 119 career games played for Cal Poly, Jaakkola needs just 10 more appearances to surpass guard Jamal Johnson's program record of 128 (2010-14). One more appearance makes him just the seventh player in program history with 120 career games played.

FROM LONDON WITH BLOCKS: Recording a second five-block game this season against CSUN (Dec. 28), junior center Joel Armotrading ranks third among Big West players in total blocks (19) and fifth in blocks per game (1.2). An offseason transfer from two-year College of Southern Idaho, Armotrading also leads Cal Poly with 4.8 rebounds per game after grabbing a career best nine at Oregon State (Dec. 4).

LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, JAN. 20): Following Saturday's home matchup with UC San Diego, Cal Poly plays just once in the ensuing 11 days, visiting CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Jan. 20. Tip time is 7 p.m. on ESPN+ for Cal Poly, which looks to snap a 10-game series slide against CSU Bakersfield.

ETC.: Cal Poly is its 30th Division I season this year and 80th as a four-year program … Cal Poly improved to 48-1 all-time against non-Division I opposition with an 80-62 home victory against Division III La Verne (Nov. 6) … against La Verne, Cal Poly also prevailed in a season opener for the fourth straight year … Cal Poly's Nov. 9 matchup at Denver marked the programs first all-time matchup with the Pioneers with the Mustangs having now faced all nine current Summit League members … Cal Poly played the program's first all-time game in the state of Wyoming and the first game ever against Wyoming while having now faced all 11 current Mountain West Conference programs during a Nov. 11 visit to Laramie … Cal Poly has now faced all nine current Summit League members in its program history following a 61-60 victory against first-time opponent St. Thomas (Nov. 17) … senior guard Kobe Sanders was named to California Baptist's Lancer Joust all-tournament team (Nov. 17-19) after averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and shooting 51.3 percent in three matchups … Cal Poly's double-overtime matchup at Oregon State (Dec. 4) marked the program's lengthiest game since a two-overtime setback versus CSUN (Feb. 10, 2022).