Cal State Fullerton
Cal Poly Looks to Continue Climb Thursday at Cal State Fullerton
2/12/2025 2:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cal Poly Men's Basketball
Upcoming Matchups
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Winners of three of its last four Big West matchups, the Cal Poly men’s basketball program looks to continue its climb up the conference standings when visiting Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13 (7 p.m.) and CSUN on Saturday, Feb. 15 (5 p.m.). Both matchups stream live on ESPN+ for Cal Poly (9-15, 3-9), which moved a half game behind eighth place Cal State Bakersfield (10-15, 4-9) in the Big West standings with a 79-63 home victory against Hawai’i (Feb. 6). With eight regular season matchups remaining for Cal Poly – four at home, four on the road – the top eight programs in the Big West standings qualify for the March 12-15 conference championship. Third among Big West programs with 78.9 points per game, Cal Poly – under first-year head coach Mike DeGeorge – is averaging 16.2 more points per game than at the same stage last season. The Mustangs have scored 90-plus points in a game six times already this year after hitting the mark just twice during the previous four years combined. Fueling the scoring surge is Cal Poly’s three-point prowess as the Mustangs rank fourth among 355 NCAA Division I programs with 31.0 three-pointers attempted per game and 11th with 10.5 three-pointers made per game. Additionally, 12 different Mustangs have scored in double digits this season – the fourth highest total of any Division I program. Last place Cal State Fullerton (6-19, 1-12), the lowest scoring Big West program at 64.2 points per night, enters Thursday’s matchup two-and-a-half games behind Cal Poly in the Big West standings. CSUN (17-7, 9-4), the top scoring side at 80.6 points per game, shares third place in the standings alongside UC Riverside.
CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE FULLERTON: The Mustangs look to stem a seven-game slide inside Titan Gym, having last defeated Cal State Fullerton on the road on Jan. 23, 2016 (83-75). Overall, Cal State Fullerton has prevailed in the last five matchups with Cal Poly’s last series win an 87-82 decision in the opening round of the 2021 Big West Championship. The all-time series is drawn (39-39) while Cal State Fullerton leads the Division I (31-24) series.
CAL POLY VERSUS CSUN: The two sides last met 11 weeks ago on Big West gameday No. 2 with the Matadors delivering a 102-91 victory inside Mott Athletics Center. The second most frequent opponent in Cal Poly’s history, CSUN takes a four-game winning streak into Saturday’s matchup – the 116th between the two sides since Feb. 5, 1960. Cal Poly leads the all-time series, 58-57, with CSUN holding the edge as Division I opponents, 32-22.
Winners of three of its last four, Cal Poly hits the road this week to visit Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 13 (7 p.m.) and CSUN on Saturday, Feb. 15 (5 p.m.). Both matchups live on ESPN+.#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/bhalDwS5Ne
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) February 10, 2025
KOONCE REMAINS CAL POLY’S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: A double-digit scorer in all but four games – two of which were nine-point outings – graduate guard Owen Koonce, following a career high 32-point effort at San Jose State (Dec. 14) and 30-point night in Cal Poly’s Nov. 30 victory at Stanford, enters Thursday’s matchup at Cal State Fullerton ranked 25th among NCAA Division I players with a 89.6 (69-for-77) percent free throw mark and, among Big West performers, third with a 41.4 (48-for-116) percent three-point mark, sixth with a 53.4 (150-for-281) percent field goal mark and 17.4 points per game. The Dec. 2 Big West Player of the Week selection, Koonce also tops the Mustangs with 5.2 rebounds per outing. One of only two Mustangs to start all 24 games, Koonce has also scored 28 points at Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 30), 23 against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11), 21 versus Denver (Dec. 17) and 20 at Omaha (Dec. 21), at UC San Diego (Jan. 9) and versus Hawai’i (Feb. 6).
THE GRADUATE: Five years after establishing his initial collegiate scoring high while a freshman at Fresno State, guard Jarred Hyder has twice smashed the mark during his graduate season with a 29-point effort against Denver (Dec. 17) arriving after a 27-point performance at Arizona State (Nov. 20). Hyder, who matched a Cal Poly single game program record with eight three-pointers versus Denver after hitting seven at Arizona State, ranks 50th among NCAA Division I players with 2.91 three-pointers per game and 73rd with 64 total threes. Now 11th among Big West performers with 13.5 points per game, Hyder has also scored 22 points at Omaha (Dec. 21) and 19 against both San Francisco (Nov. 5) and Menlo College (Nov. 10) among 16 double-digit performances. A starter in all 47 appearances as a Mustang dating to last season and second among Big West players at 33.5 minutes per game, Hyder – having distributed a career best seven assists three times this year – remains ninth among conference players with 3.1 per game.
RINIKER’S PERCENTAGE POINTS: A year after shooting 63.8 percent for Division II Colorado Mesa, graduate guard Mac Riniker ranks eighth among Big West players with a 50.0 (90-for-180) percent mark. One of two Mustangs to start all 24 games alongside Owen Koonce, Riniker also ranks second in the lineup with 5.0 rebounds per game and fourth with 9.8 points per night after notching a Cal Poly-best 18 points against UC Davis (Jan. 16), 16 versus Long Beach State (Jan. 25) and 15 at Eastern Washington (Nov. 17) and Saint Mary’s (Nov. 23) among 12 double-digit scoring outings. Most recently, Riniker grabbed a Cal Poly best 10 rebounds at UC Riverside (Feb. 1).
JESSUP EMERGES AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP THREE-POINT THREATS: Having reached double-digit scoring figures 11 times, senior guard Isaac Jessup enters Thursday’s contest at Cal State Fullerton ranked 66th among NCAA Division I players with a 39.7 (54-for-136) percent three-point mark and 74th with 2.7 three-pointers per game. Having already knocked down five three-pointers in a game three times, Jessup’s 21-point effort at Stanford (Nov. 30) was a total one shy of his career scoring high. Jessup also scored 20 points at California in just his second Division I appearance and enjoyed 17-point efforts at Arizona State (Nov. 20) and versus Grambling State (Nov. 26).
RISING FRESHMAN: A 12-point effort during Cal Poly’s Feb. 1 visit to UC Riverside marked freshman Peter Bandelj’s 11th double-digit scoring game with the Slovenia native remaining fifth in Cal Poly’s lineup at 9.4 points per game. Averaging 10.9 points per Cal Poly’s last eight games, Bandelj enjoyed a career best 18-point night against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11). Ninth among Big West players with an 80.8 (84-for-104) percent free throw mark, Bandelj leads Cal Poly in reserve scoring with 71.6 percent of 225 total points recorded in non-starting appearances.
DEGEORGE TAKES THE MUSTANG REINS: Named Cal Poly’s sixth head coach at the Division I level on March 26, Mike DeGeorge arrived in San Luis Obispo from Division II Colorado Mesa after directing the Mavericks to 141 wins in six seasons, three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances – including Sweet 16 trips in 2022 and 2024. Bringing more than two decades of head coaching experience to Cal Poly, DeGeorge’s squads at Colorado Mesa were known for their offensive prowess. During the 2023-24 season, Colorado Mesa led Division II in effective field goal percentage (.596), finished third in three-pointers per game (11.4) and 15th in points per game (11.4). Both of DeGeorge’s assistant coaches from Colorado Mesa – Kyle Bossier and BJ Andrews – joined Cal Poly in the offseason, as well as four transfers from Colorado Mesa.
ETC.: Cal Poly is in its 31st Division I season and 81st as a four-year program … Cal Poly’s Nov. 5 matchup at San Francisco marked the earliest opening date to a season in program history … Cal Poly’s 93.3 (14-for-15) percent free throw mark at San Francisco (Nov. 5) marked the fourth highest single game figure in program history … since transitioning to the Division I level prior to the 1994-95 season, Cal Poly is 49-1 against non-Division I programs following a 99-66 home victory against Division II Menlo College (Nov. 10) … Cal Poly’s 99-66 home win against Menlo College (Nov. 10) marked head coach Mike DeGeorge’s first victory in charge of Cal Poly while the program’s 75-71 win versus Seattle (Nov. 14) was the first against a Division I opponent … Jarred Hyder’s seven three-pointers at Arizona State (Nov. 20) were one shy of the program single game record recorded three previous times and most recently by Dawin Whiten (Feb. 10, 2007) … Cal Poly’s Nov. 26 home victory against Grambling State marked the program’s first all-time matchup with the Tigers … Cal Poly’s Dec. 5 Big West opener at UC Davis marked the earliest conference start date in program history … Jarred Hyder’s eight three-pointers against Denver (Dec. 17) tied a single-game program record previously accomplished by three Mustangs and most recently by guard Dawin Whiten against UC Irvine (Feb. 10, 2007) … Cal Poly’s 95-94 overtime home win against Denver marked the program’s first all-time victory against the Pioneers … Cal Poly’s Jan. 18 setback at UC Irvine marked the program’s 900th game at the Division I level.
