9-16,5-8Big West
UC Davis
15-9,8-5Big West
Mustangs Slip to 67-58 Saturday Setback at UC Davis
2/7/2026 4:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAVIS – Sophomore Hamad Mousa and freshman Jess Esso Essis co-led the Cal Poly men’s basketball program with 12 points apiece, but the Mustangs were held to just one field goal during the final eight minutes Saturday afternoon and slipped to a 67-58 setback at UC Davis.
Sophomore guard Cayden Ward added 11 points for Cal Poly (9-16, 5-8), which led UC Davis (15-9, 8-5), 54-47, with eight minutes remaining before the Aggies reeled off an 11-0 run to go in front. Mousa broke the drought with a pair of free throws, but a layup from Aggies guard Marcus Wilson and a three-pointer and two free throws by guard Connor Sevilla in the final two minutes placed the scoreline out of reach for Cal Poly.
Esso Essis grabbed a career best eight rebounds for Cal Poly, which kept UC Davis to a 36.1 (18-for-57) percent field goal mark. The Aggies, however, turned 19 Cal Poly turnovers into 22 points.
Starting Saturday’s matchup 1-for-9 from the floor, Cal Poly utilized a three-pointer and back-to-back jumpers from Esso Essis to erase an early deficit and go up 10-6 with 13 minutes left in the half.
The two sides traded the lead twice more with Cal Poly stretching its advantage to 22-17 five minutes before the break. Despite being held scoreless the remainder of the half, Cal Poly maintained a one-point edge heading into the locker room.
Cayden from the arc 3??#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/Lm2Yb6TDmd
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) February 7, 2026
UC Davis produced the opening two points of the second half before Cal Poly registered the next seven to go up 29-23. The Mustangs thrice pushed their lead to seven early in the half before a corner three-pointer from junior guard Jackson Mosley handed Cal Poly a 44-36 edge with 12-and-a-half to play.
Cal Poly Noteworthy (at UC Davis)
- Up Next: Cal Poly returns to Mott Athletics Center to play three of its next four at home, starting Thursday, Feb. 12 against Big West leader UC Irvine at 7 p.m.
- With 12 points Saturday, Hamad Mousa brought his season total to 499. He’ll need just one against UC Irvine to register the 13th 500-point season in program history.
- Cal Poly finished 14-for-14 from the free throw line – the second best total in program history for conversions without a miss. The Big West’s top free throw shooting team at 77.5 percent, Cal Poly has shot 92.8 (64-for-69) percent during the last three games.
Another view of Jake’s dunk ??#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/nVvpUG5ud3
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) February 7, 2026
