Mustangs Host UC Riverside Saturday in Penultimate Home Matchup

Saturday, February 24

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

UC Riverside

Tickets

Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Host UC Riverside Saturday in Penultimate Home Matchup

2/23/2024 11:59:00 AM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE GAME PREVIEW (pdf)

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Just two home games remain on the Cal Poly men's basketball program's regular season schedule with the first occurring Saturday, Feb. 24 as the Mustangs host UC Riverside inside Mott Athletics Center. Tip time on ESPN+ is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (4-23, 0-15), eliminated from Big West Championship contention following Thursday's 68-50 setback at Cal State Fullerton. With five regular season games remaining, Cal Poly trails ninth place Cal State Fullerton (12-15, 5-10) by five games and 10th place Cal State Bakersfield (10-17, 5-11) by four-and-a-half but, due to tiebreaker scenarios, would not be able to overtake either program for the eighth and final spot in the March 13-16 Big West Championship field. UC Riverside (12-16, 7-9), tied for seventh alongside UC Santa Barbara (14-12, 7-9), saw a four-game winning streak snapped at home Thursday by UC San Diego, 77-65. The Highlanders prevailed in the Jan. 11 season series opener against the Mustangs, 71-56.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERISDE: 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), Saturday's matchup marks the 110th all-time series matchup since the first meeting on Dec. 22, 1968. UC Riverside, having won nine straight decisions against Cal Poly, leads the all-time series, 58-51. The Mustangs, whose last victory against UC Riverside was a 71-45 road win on Jan. 31, 2019, lead the Division I series, 28-23.

SANDERS KEEPS UP THE SCORING PACE: The first Mustang since guard Lorenzo Keeler during the 2009-10 season with three 30-point games in one year, senior guard Kobe Sanders followed a 30-point effort against Omaha (Dec. 21) with a career best 33-point performance versus CSUN (Dec. 28) and 32-point showing at Hawai'i (Jan. 27). After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, Sanders has scored in double digits in all 24 appearances this year – including a 23-point game against UC Irvine (Feb. 1), 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 ranks fourth among Big West players with a team leading 17.8 points per game. Having led Cal Poly in scoring 15 times this season, Sanders – now with 40 career double-digit scoring games – is averaging 9.1 points per 95 collegiate outings. On the boards, Sanders grabbed a career high 10 rebounds at Hawai'i (Jan. 27) to complete a first career double-double. With six games of five-plus assists – including a career best nine against Long Beach State (Jan. 4) – ranks 11th in the Big West with a team leading 3.1 assists per game. Equally proficient from the free throw line as the floor, Sanders – entering Saturday's matchup versus UC Riverside having converted 92 of his last 105 attempts – ranks 47th among NCAA Division I players with an 87.3 (131-for-150) percent free throw mark.

SANDERS RISING IN THE RECORD BOOK: One of the nation's top free throw shooters, Kobe Sanders now ranks sixth in Cal Poly single season history with 131 free throws and eighth with an 87.3 percent free throw mark. Poised to become Cal Poly's highest scorer in 24 seasons, Sanders also sits ninth in single season history at 17.8 points per night.

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 10 times this year – ranks second in the lineup with 10.3 points per game. Fourth in the Big West averaging a team leading 33.2 minutes per game, Hyder's most recent standout performance was a 21-point effort at Long Beach State (Feb. 10) after finishing with 13 at UC Davis (Dec. 30), 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 20 of 27 games – also scored 15 points at Denver.

Q-BALL: An 11-point, 10-rebound effort versus Hawai'i (Feb. 15) marked a first career double-double for freshman guard Quentin Jones, who most recently chalked up a 10th career double-digit scoring effort with 14 at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 22). Third in Cal Poly's lineup with 9.6 points per games, Jones also owns a career best 22-point night versus Long Beach State (Jan. 4), a 21-point effort at Oregon State (Dec. 4), another 19-point game at Long Beach State (Feb. 10) and a 17-point performance versus St. Thomas (Nov. 17). A starter in 26 of 27 matchups, Jones ranks ninth among Big West players with 1.6 steals per game and 12th at 31.4 minutes per outing.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 50.8 (241-for-474) percent career shooter and ranked seventh in program history with 68 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 played in all 28 of Cal Poly's games during his 2021-22 senior season. Having appeared in 25 of 27 matchups this year with 17 starts, Jaakkola scored 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. Jaakkola enters Saturday's matchup at Cal State Fullerton having reached double-digit scoring figures in three straight matchups, most recently finishing with 10 points against Hawai'i (Feb. 15). Including a season best 15-point effort at UC Riverside (Jan. 11), Jaakkola ranks fourth in the lineup with 6.8 points per game. He also grabbed a season best nine rebounds against both Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) and Omaha (Dec. 21). Already the program's all-time leader for games played (131), Jaakkola became the first Mustang in program history with at least 130 appearances versus Hawai'i (Feb. 15).

FROM LONDON WITH BLOCKS: Recording a second five-block game this season against CSUN (Dec. 28), junior center Joel Armotrading ranks fourth among Big West players in total blocks (33) and blocks per game (1.3). His most recent standout performances were four-block efforts at UC Riverside (Jan. 11) and versus UC Davis (Feb. 3) after opening the season with five against La Verne (Nov. 6). An offseason transfer from two-year College of Southern Idaho, Armotrading produced his first Division I double-double with 10 points and a career best 13 rebounds against UC Davis. Cal Poly's leader at 4.8 rebounds per game, Armotrading also averages 4.8 points per matchup.

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.

LOOKING AHEAD (FEB. 29/MARCH 2): Playing three of its final four regular season matchups on the road, Cal Poly visits UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Feb. 29 before hosting Cal State Bakersfield in the home finale on Saturday, March 2. Tip time on ESPN+ both nights is 7 p.m.

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) … Cal Poly's 50-point second half at Hawai'i (Jan. 27) marked the highest total the Rainbow Warriors have allowed this season … the 43 free throw attempts by Hawai'i were the fourth highest opponent total in program history … graduate forward Tuukka Jaakkola became Cal Poly's all-time games played leader with his 129th career appearance at Long Beach State (Feb. 10), surpassing guard Jamal Johnson's previous mark set from 2010-14.