Cal Poly men’s basketball downs Bethesda in Saturday matinee

Junior forward Luke Meikle recorded his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and senior guard Kyle Toth led all players with 17 points as the Cal Poly men’s basketball team pulled away Saturday afternoon for a 69-52 victory against NCCAA Bethesda University at Mott Athletics Center.

Sophomore guard Donovan Fields added 15 points for Cal Poly (2-2), which kept Bethesda (4-7) to a 36.5-percent field-goal mark. Cal Poly, which saw Toth knock down five of his team’s 12 three-pointers, also blocked eight shots Saturday.

The Mustangs also received nine points and six assists from sophomore guard Jaylen Shead to improve to 36-1 against non-Division I programs since themselves transitioning to Division I prior to the 1994-95 season.

Cal Poly returns to action at the Nov. 23, 25-26 Northern Illinois Thanksgiving Classic in DeKalb. The Mustangs open the tournament against the host Huskies on Wednesday.

During a first half that included five lead changes, Cal Poly found itself trailing 14-12 eight minutes into action before holding the Flames to just three field goals during a 10-minute stretch. An ensuing 16-6 run placed the Mustangs up 28-20 two-and-a-half minutes before the break.

Bethesda closed within four points of Cal Poly’s lead just twice the remainder of the game. Holding a 35-33 lead with 16 minutes remaining in the game, Cal Poly utilized three-pointers from Meikle and senior guard Ridge Shipley and a Toth layup to quickly grab the game’s first double-digit lead en route to victory.

This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Cal Poly men’s basketball downs Bethesda in Saturday matinee."