Cal Poly men’s basketball team lets one get away in 72-68 loss to UC Riverside

Life in the Big West Conference is unforgiving this season, and the Cal Poly men’s basketball team was reminded of that much Thursday night.

With an opportunity to even their conference record and move up in the Big West standings, the Mustangs let a 13-point first-half lead slip away and fell 72-68 to UC Riverside inside Mott Athletics Center.

After trailing for the better part of 35 minutes, the Highlanders made enough plays down the stretch to secure their first win in San Luis Obispo since Joe Callero took over as head coach in 2009.

“They were very aware that in six years they hadn’t won up here,” Callero said. “That weighs on somebody. They’re a very happy team after that victory.”

How it happened:

Cal Poly led 64-63 with 2:29 remaining when senior guard David Nwaba was given a dead ball technical foul for pushing a UC Riverside player after the whistle.

Jaylen Bland, the third-leading scorer in the Big West this season at nearly 17 points per game, calmly made both free throws and the Highlanders retained possession. Moments later, Bland made a 3-pointer, was fouled on the shot and converted the free throw for a six-point swing.

The Mustangs had a few chances to tie the score late, but they turned the ball over three times in the final 48 seconds.

“I should’ve kept my composure throughout the play,” said Nwaba, who finished the game with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. “It’s just tough to get that call, but it was definitely my fault.”

Cal Poly (8-11, 2-4 Big West) was sharp in the early going and used a 17-4 run to go ahead 23-10 midway through the first half.

With Taylor Johns leading the way, UC Riverside slowly chipped away at the deficit and went into halftime trailing 30-28.

Johns was a first-team all-conference performer a year ago and he’s been one of the Highlanders most efficient players again this season. His 26-point, six-rebound performance last week helped UC Riverside pick up an important win against Long Beach State.

After starting the game 11 of 20 from the field, the Mustangs missed 10 of their last 11 field goals going into the break.

Who stood out:

Senior forward Brian Bennett continued to shine in his role coming off the bench.

The 6-foot-9 Bennett scored a game-high 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 24 minutes.

For a long stretch in the second half, Bennett and Johns seemed to go basket-for-basket and had little trouble getting what they wanted offensively. Johns led the Highlanders with 21 points and eight rebounds in a game-high 39 minutes.

Bland and Secean Johnson both scored 15 for UC Riverside (12-11, 3-4 Big West).

“I know what Taylor brings to the table every time we play Riverside,” Bennett said. “He’s a great player and I knew, just as a team, we all had to match their intensity. I think we did that pretty well, it just didn’t unfold our way.”

What it means:

Things won’t get any easier for Cal Poly going forward.

The Mustangs will be back on the road when they travel north to play UC Davis at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Aggies (8-11, 3-3 Big West) defeated last-place Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 23 and had a week off to prepare for a Cal Poly team they’ve beaten in four consecutive meetings.

Next week, the Mustangs host the last two undefeated teams in the Big West when UC Irvine and Hawaii come to Mott Athletics Center.

“If you’ve watched us play this year, it’s really not about our opponent,” Callero said. “It’s all about us. We confidently can tell you we can go to any court in the Big West Conference, go on the road and beat anybody.”

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Cal Poly men’s basketball team lets one get away in 72-68 loss to UC Riverside."