Cal Poly can’t complete second half comeback and lose to Montana State

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - Sophomore guard Cayden Ward (above) finished with a team leading 25 points Tuesday evening, but the Cal Poly men’s basketball program – after trailing Montana State by 14 with four-and-a-half minutes to play – fell to the Bobcats inside Mott Athletics Center, 83-80.

Sophomore guards Hamad Mousa and Peter Bandelj added 16 and 14 points, respectively, for Cal Poly (5-7), which faced a 77-63 deficit before a Mousa three-pointer sparked a 13-2 run that dropped Montana State’s lead to 79-76 with 56 seconds remaining.

A Bandelj layup following a missed Mousa free throw then cut the gap to one with 35 seconds left, but Montana State (5-7) twice escaped Cal Poly’s inbounds defense with dunks at the other end of the floor from guard Patrick McMahon. At the buzzer, a potential game-tying three-pointer from Mousa fell short.

Ward grabbed a game high eight boards for Cal Poly, which outrebounded Montana State, 47-39.

Cal Poly knocked down four of its initial five attempts from the floor Tuesday, taking a 9-2 lead after two minutes before the Bobcats hit back with a 10-1 run. With Montana State leading by as much as 33-27 late in the first half, Cal Poly thrice tied the matchup before a free throw from freshman guard Austin Goode with a second to go handed the Mustangs a 41-40 halftime lead.

Montana State, however, surged ahead for good three minutes into the second half after a three-pointer from guard Jed Miller handed the visitors a 49-46 lead.

Cal Poly Noteworthy (versus Montana State Dec. 16)

Up Next: Cal Poly plays its final scheduled non-conference road matchup of the season when visiting UCLA on Friday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. The Mustangs make their eighth all-time visit to Westwood and first since an 88-83 setback on Nov. 15, 2015.
With his 11th double-digit scoring game in as many outings this season, Hamad Mousa maintained the Big West’s scoring lead at 20.1 points per game.
Cayden Ward’s 25-point effort – three points shy of his career high – improved his scoring average to 15.2 points per game (10th among Big West players).

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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