3-3,0-0Big West
Utah
5-1,0-0Big 12
Career Nights from Ward, Mousa Help Cal Poly Topple Utah, 92-85
11/20/2025 8:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – Sophomore guards Cayden Ward (28 points) and Hamad Mousa (26) each enjoyed new career scoring highs Thursday evening as the Cal Poly men’s basketball program sank 14 three-pointers to fuel a 92-85 victory at Utah.
Fellow sophomore Guzman Vasilic added a season best 13 points for Cal Poly (3-3), which took the lead Thursday after four minutes and failed to relinquish it after shooting a season best 50.0 (30-for-60) percent from the floor and 56.0 (14-for-25) percent from three-point range.
Guard Pewter Bandelj finished with 11 points for Cal Poly, which secured its first and only win against a current Big 12 program since defeating Arizona State on Dec. 2, 1949.
Ward (above) also led the Mustangs with eight rebounds Thursday as Cal Poly dealt Utah (5-1) its first defeat of the year.
A Mousa tip-in handed Cal Poly the 7-5 lead four minutes into action before three-pointers from Bandelj and Vasilic stretched the early advantage. Two Ward free throws midway through the half handed Cal Poly its first double-digit lead at 22-12.
A transition three-pointer by Vasilic furthered Cal Poly’s lead to 30-19 with eight minutes remaining in the opening half. The Mustangs, who led by as much as 15 points, shot 54.8 (17-for-31) percent from the floor and knocked down nine first-half three-pointers to lead at the break, 50-39.
Individually, Ward and Mousa were a combined 12-for-13 from the floor during the first half with 18 points apiece.
An early second-half three-pointer from Vasilic pushed Cal Poly’s advantage to 55-41 before Utah countered with a 7-0 run. The Mustangs, however, required just two minutes to regain the double-digit lead with a Bandelj three-pointer placing Cal Poly up 60-50 with 16 minutes to play.
Cal Poly still led 73-62 with 10 minutes to go before Utah produced a 12-3 run to cut its gap to 76-74 with six minutes remaining. A Bandelj free throw and two more from Davis kept Cal Poly in front before a reverse Davis layup made it a three-possession game with four-and-a-half to go.
A Bandelj layup reaffirmed the double-digit lead with three minutes to go as Cal Poly led by as much as 12 down the stretch.
Image courtesy of Evan Lee
DOWN GO THE UTES ???#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/uXgn9YB3SP
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) November 21, 2025
Cal Poly Noteworthy (from Utah) …
- Up Next: Cal Poly completes its six-game road trip at Northern Arizona (Monday, Nov. 24) before facing Southeast Missouri (Tuesday, Nov. 25) in Flagstaff, Ariz. Both games tip at 5 p.m. PT.
- Thursday’s win was Cal Poly’s first against a power four program since defeating Stanford on Nov. 30, 2024 (97-90).
- Ward’s 28-point performance marked not only a career high, but the top output by a Mustang this season. His nine field goals were also the highest total by a Cal Poly player this year.
- With his 26-point performance, Hamad Mousa took over the Big West scoring lead at 19.8 points per game.
- Cal Poly’s 14 three-pointers match a season high.
