Thursday, February 27
Santa Barbara, CA
7 p.m.
11-18,5-12Big West
77
at
96
UC Santa Barbara
19-10,11-7Big West
1
2
F
Cal Poly
42
35
77
UC Santa Barbara
47
49
96
Team Stats
CPO
UCSB
FG%
.420
.540
3FG%
.233
.500
FT%
.800
.778
RB
34
41
TO
15
15
STL
9
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballPG
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Joe Kelly
Mustangs Fall Down the Stretch at UC Santa Barbara Thursday
2/27/2025 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SANTA BARBARA – Graduate Owen Koonce scored a game high 23 points and fellow guard Jarred Hyder finished with 17, but the Cal Poly men's basketball program – after cutting a double-digit, second-half deficit to six points with nine minutes to play – ultimately fell at UC Santa Barbara Thursday evening, 96-77
Freshman guard Peter Bandelj added 14 points for Cal Poly (11-18, 5-12), which utilized a 9-0 run midway through the second half to shorten its gap against UC Santa Barbara (19-10, 11-7) to 71-65. Gauchos forward Max Murrell stemmed the run, however, with one of UC Santa Barbara's 14 three-pointers to keep Cal Poly at a distance as the hosts pulled away for the victory.
UC Santa Barbara shot 54.0 (34-for-63) percent from the floor while holding Cal Poly to a 42.0 (29-for-69) percent clip and just seven three-pointers.
With Thursday's setback, ninth-place Cal Poly slipped one-and-a-half games behind seventh-place Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West standings with the top eight programs qualifying for the March 12-15 Big West Championship.
The Mustangs, however, play two of their final three games at home, starting Saturday, March 1 against Cal State Bakersfield. Tip time on ESPN+ is 2 p.m.
With a 9-for-13 shooting start Thursday, UC Santa Barbara opened up a 24-16 lead after eight-and-a-half minutes. The Gauchos still led 31-21 nine minutes before the break before a 15-3 run from Cal Poly – spurred by six Hyder points and capped by a Koonce three-pointer – placed the Mustangs up, 36-34, with four minutes remaining.
The Gauchos, however, countered with a 12-0, two-minute run to regain a double-digit advantage before a jumper from freshman guard Cayden Ward and Bandelj layup at the buzzer cut Cal Poly's halftime deficit to 47-42.
UC Santa Barbara produced the opening bucket of the second half and Cal Poly closed within six points of the lead five times. Facing a 58-52 disadvantage with 14 minutes to go, however, Cal Poly was kept to just two field goals in a three-minute window as UC Santa Barbara stretched its lead to 71-56.
Freshman guard Peter Bandelj added 14 points for Cal Poly (11-18, 5-12), which utilized a 9-0 run midway through the second half to shorten its gap against UC Santa Barbara (19-10, 11-7) to 71-65. Gauchos forward Max Murrell stemmed the run, however, with one of UC Santa Barbara's 14 three-pointers to keep Cal Poly at a distance as the hosts pulled away for the victory.
UC Santa Barbara shot 54.0 (34-for-63) percent from the floor while holding Cal Poly to a 42.0 (29-for-69) percent clip and just seven three-pointers.
With Thursday's setback, ninth-place Cal Poly slipped one-and-a-half games behind seventh-place Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West standings with the top eight programs qualifying for the March 12-15 Big West Championship.
The Mustangs, however, play two of their final three games at home, starting Saturday, March 1 against Cal State Bakersfield. Tip time on ESPN+ is 2 p.m.
With a 9-for-13 shooting start Thursday, UC Santa Barbara opened up a 24-16 lead after eight-and-a-half minutes. The Gauchos still led 31-21 nine minutes before the break before a 15-3 run from Cal Poly – spurred by six Hyder points and capped by a Koonce three-pointer – placed the Mustangs up, 36-34, with four minutes remaining.
The Gauchos, however, countered with a 12-0, two-minute run to regain a double-digit advantage before a jumper from freshman guard Cayden Ward and Bandelj layup at the buzzer cut Cal Poly's halftime deficit to 47-42.
UC Santa Barbara produced the opening bucket of the second half and Cal Poly closed within six points of the lead five times. Facing a 58-52 disadvantage with 14 minutes to go, however, Cal Poly was kept to just two field goals in a three-minute window as UC Santa Barbara stretched its lead to 71-56.
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