Cal State Bakersfield
Mustangs Host Cal State Bakersfield Saturday in Pivotal Matchup
2/28/2025 2:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Cal Poly Men's Basketball
Upcoming Matchups
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Just one-and-a-half games separate the ninth-place Cal Poly men’s basketball program from seventh-place Cal State Bakersfield in the Big West standings as the Mustangs host the Roadrunners on Saturday, March 1. Tip time on ESPN+ is 2 p.m. for Cal Poly (11-18, 5-12), which, with just three regular season matchups remaining, also trails eighth-place Hawai’i (14-14, 6-11) by a single game in the standings. A Cal Poly victory, coupled with a Hawai’i home loss later Saturday evening against UC Davis, lifts the Mustangs into a share of eighth place and just a half-game behind Cal State Bakersfield. The top eight programs in the Big West standings qualify for the March 12-15 conference championship. Following Saturday, Cal Poly completes the regular season with matchups against the bottom two programs in the Big West standings, hosting last-place Cal State Fullerton (Thursday, March 6) before visiting 10th-place Long Beach State (Saturday, March 8). Cal State Bakersfield stayed ahead of Cal Poly Thursday evening with an 88-87 overtime win at Long Beach State.
CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: The Mustangs snapped a 12-game slide against Cal State Bakersfield with a 90-81 road victory in this season’s series opener (Jan. 30). The Roadrunners lead both the all-time (42-26) and Division I (16-3) series.
MUSTANG OFFENSE IN FOCUS: Having regained the Big West scoring lead and now 39th among 355 NCAA Division I programs at 80.4 points per game, Cal Poly – under first-year head coach Mike DeGeorge – is averaging 17.4 more points per game than at the same stage last season, the most significant turnaround in the nation this season. The Mustangs have scored 90-plus points in a game eight times already this year after hitting the mark just twice during the previous four years combined. Cal Poly’s 112-point effort against UC Riverside (Feb. 22) marked the program’s highest output since a 122-90 victory against Southern (Dec. 15, 1998). Fueling the scoring surge is Cal Poly’s three-point prowess as the Mustangs rank third among 355 NCAA Division I programs with 31.3 three-pointers attempted per game and 10th with 10.7 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.
Peter Bandelj with the buzzer-beating layup to cut Cal Poly's deficit at UC Santa Barbara to 47-42 at the break.#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/qzrTq3g6Wz
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) February 28, 2025
KOONCE REMAINS CAL POLY’S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: A double-digit scorer in all but five 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 Saturday’s matchup with Cal State Bakersfield ranked 20th among NCAA Division I players with a 89.3 (83-for-93) percent free throw mark and, among Big West performers, sixth with 17.1 points per game and seventh with a 38.5 (55-for-143) percent three-point mark and 51.9 (179-for-345) percent field goal mark. The Dec. 2 Big West Player of the Week selection, Koonce also tops the Mustangs with 5.1 rebounds per outing after grabbing 10 at CSUN (Feb. 15) to secure a second double-double versus the Matadors this season. One of only two Mustangs to start all 29 games, Koonce has also scored 28 points at Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 30), 23 twice against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11, Feb. 27), 21 versus Denver (Dec. 17) and at CSUN (Feb. 15) 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). Most recently, he added 25 points against UC Riverside (Feb. 22). Hyder, who matched a Cal Poly single game program record with eight three-pointers versus Denver after hitting seven at Arizona State, ranks 59th among NCAA Division I players with 2.8 three-pointers per game and 69th with 75 total threes. Now 11th among Big West performers with 13.9 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 20 double-digit performances. A starter in all 52 appearances as a Mustang dating to last season and third among Big West players at 33.4 minutes per game, Hyder – having distributed a career best seven assists four times this year – is ninth among conference players with 3.1 per game.
???????????????? we need you ?? to come out and get loud tomorrow for our game against Bakersfield at ?? ??????#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/MVpuyI6Vtl
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) February 28, 2025
JESSUP EMERGES AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP THREE-POINT THREATS: Having reached double-digit scoring figures 14 times, senior guard Isaac Jessup enters Saturday’s contest with Cal State Bakersfield ranked 31st among NCAA Division I players with a 41.2 (70-for-170) percent three-point mark and 57th with 2.8 three-pointers per game. Having matched a career best with six three-pointers at CSUN (Feb. 15) and hit five in a game four other times, Jessup’s 21-point effort at Stanford (Nov. 30) was a total one shy of his career scoring high while at Division II Colorado Mesa last season. Jessup also scored 20 points at California in just his second Division I appearance, 18 versus CSUN and 17 at both Arizona State (Nov. 20) and versus Grambling State (Nov. 26).
RISING FRESHMAN: A 14-point performance at UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 27) marked freshman guard Peter Bandelj’s 15th double-digit scoring game with the Slovenia native remaining fourth in the lineup at 10.1 points per game. Averaging 13.6 points per Cal Poly’s last five games, Bandelj enjoyed a career best 24-point performance against UC Riverside (Feb. 22) while scoring 18 against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11). Eighth among Big West players with an 80.2 (101-for-126) percent free throw mark, Bandelj leads Cal Poly in reserve scoring with 60.1 percent of 293 total points recorded in non-starting appearances.
RINIKER’S PERCENTAGE POINTS: A year after shooting 63.8 percent for Division II Colorado Mesa, graduate guard Mac Riniker remains seventh among Big West players with a 52.2 (106-for-203) percent mark. One of two Mustangs to start all 29 games alongside Owen Koonce, Riniker also ranks second in the lineup with 4.7 rebounds per game and fifth with 9.7 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), Saint Mary’s (Nov. 23) and Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 13) among 13 double-digit scoring outings.
FROM REDSHIRT TO ROTATION: Scheduled to redshirt during his first season on campus at the start of the year, freshman guard Cayden Ward made his Mustang debut with seven points at UC Davis (Dec. 5), recorded his first career double-digit scoring outing with 15 points at UC Irvine (Jan. 18) and produced a career best 19 points at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 13). Most recently, Ward scored 16 points during a home victory against UC Riverside (Feb. 22) after enjoying a 17-point night versus Big West leader UC San Diego (Feb. 20). He enters Saturday’s matchup with Cal State Bakersfield averaging 13.0 points per Cal Poly’s last five games. Also ascending the rebounding chart, Ward – with a career best nine boards versus UC San Diego (Feb. 20) – is fourth in the lineup at 3.7 per game.
DEGEORGE TAKES THE MUSTANG REINS: Named Cal Poly’s sixth head coach at the Division I level on March 26, 2024, 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 … Cal Poly 112-100 overtime home victory against UC Riverside (Feb. 22) marked the program’s highest scoring output since a 122-90 home win versus Southern (Dec. 15, 1998).
