7-12,3-4Big West
Hawai'i
13-3,5-1Big West
Hawai’i Pulls Away from Cal Poly in Second Half
1/15/2026 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Sophomore Hamad Mousa finished with a team leading 17 points Thursday evening, but the Cal Poly men’s basketball program was kept to its second lowest scoring output of the season during an 86-66 setback to Hawai’i inside Mott Athletics Center.
Guard Peter Bandelj added 11 points for Cal Poly (7-12, 3-4), which trailed Hawai’i (13-3, 5-1) at the break, 41-36, before the Rainbow Warriors opened the second half with a 13-4 run. Hawai’i, ranked ninth among 361 NCAA Division I programs in points allowed per game, failed to relinquish its double-digit advantage the remainder of the night.
Sophomore Cayden Ward (above) finished with 10 points and team best nine rebounds for Cal Poly.
Hawai’i opened Thursday’s matchup shooting 66.7 (12-for-18) percent from the floor, but carved out just a 31-28 lead after 15 minutes. The Mustangs, who twice cut their deficit to a single point down the first-half stretch, faced their five-point gap heading into the locker room following a buzzer-beating jumper from Hawai’i forward Gytis Nemeikša.
Into the second half, Bandelj knocked down a jumper three minutes into action to help Cal Poly close its deficit to 46-40. Hawai’i, however, scored on its next three possessions to pull away.
Cal Poly Noteworthy (versus Hawai’i)
- Up Next: Cal Poly enjoys a week break before renewing its rivalry with UC Santa Barbara when visiting the Gauchos on Thursday, Jan. 22. Tip time from The Thunderdome is 6 p.m.
- Hamad Mousa maintained his streak of double-digit scoring through all 18 appearances and retained the big West scoring lead at 21.6 points per game.
- Cal Poly kept three of the Big West’s top three scorers with Cayden Ward (15.0) ranked eighth and Peter Bandelj (14.8) in 10th.
What he does best ??#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/ZJpPZb8kpj
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) January 16, 2026
