6-11,2-3Big West
CSUN
10-7,3-2Big West
Mousa Sets New Scoring High; Cal Poly Outdistanced Thursday at CSUN
1/8/2026 9:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NORTHRIDGE – Sophomore Hamad Mousa (above) enjoyed a career high 34-point performance Thursday evening, but the Cal Poly men’s basketball program – after leading CSUN by as much as 14 points midway through the second half – fell to the Matadors, 95-90.
Fellow guard Cayden Ward added 21 points for Cal Poly (6-11, 2-3), which utilized a three-point play from junior Jake Davis to go up 68-54 with 13 minutes remaining. However, CSUN (10-7, 3-2) – which shot 52.2 (35-for-67) percent – scored 41 points down the stretch to outdistance Cal Poly.
Mousa also drained a collegiate best seven three-pointers for Cal Poly, which sank 16 as a team – two shy of the season best 18 converted at Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 4).
Guard Peter Bandelj recorded 13 points for the Mustangs with Mousa grabbing a team high seven rebounds.
Cal Poly kept CSUN to a 0-for-7 shooting start and led 10-2 after four-and-a-half minutes following two early Ward three-pointers. However, CSUN – which would recover to shoot 53.1 percent in the first half – scored 18 points in the next six minutes to tie the matchup, 20-20.
A jumper from Matadors guard Grady Lewis and two from guard Joshua O’Garro next handed CSUN its first lead of the evening at 26-24. A 7-2 run eventually furthered CSUN’s newfound lead to 33-26 with six-and-a-half minutes to play before Cal Poly hit back with an 8-0 stretch to regain the advantage. The lead was traded twice more with a late three-pointer from sophomore guard Guzman Vasilic helping Cal Poly to a 44-41 lead at the break.
Two free throws from junior guard Kieran Elliott handed Cal Poly Thursday’s first double-digit lead at 56-46 with 15 minutes to play with the Mustangs assuming their 14-point lead shortly after.
Two free throws from junior guard Kieran Elliott handed Cal Poly Thursday’s first double-digit lead at 56-46 with 15 minutes to play with the Mustangs assuming their 14-point lead shortly after.
The Matadors, however, scored on their next three possessions to cut the gap to six with 10 minutes left. CSUN eventually overtook Cal Poly for certain with three-and-a-half minutes to go following a layup by forward Mahmoud Fofana.
Above image courtesy of Bella Enriquez
Cal Poly Noteworthy (at CSUN)
- Up Next: Cal Poly returns to Mott Athletics Center to open a two-game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 10 against UC Davis at 2 p.m.
- A double-digit scorer in all 16 outings, Hamad Mousa improved his Big West best scoring average to 21.7 points per game. Through five Big West matchups, Mousa is averaging 27.4 points per night.
- Cal Poly’s 44 three-point attempts Thursday were a season high.
DEEP 3?? FROM WARD#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/PStosBTPHx
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) January 9, 2026
