SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - Cayden Ward led three Cal Poly men’s basketball players in double-digit scoring figures with 16 points and Hamad Mousa (above) became just the second player in program history to reach 600 points in one season, but UC Irvine pulled away late in Thursday’s first half as the Mustangs fell inside the Bren Events Center, 107-85.
Mousa finished with 15 points and Austin Goode added 13 for Cal Poly (13-18, 9-10), which sank 10 three-pointers. Big West leader UC Irvine (21-10, 14-5), however, shot 56.3 (40-for-71) percent, committed just five turnovers and outscored Cal Poly in the paint, 64-38.
Mousa reached his historic milestone with two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening half, sinking a jumper in the lane to become the first and only player in program history since Stuart Thomas (1990-91) to reach 600 points in one year.
Keyed by a 4-for-4 shooting start and nine early points from Ward, Cal Poly found itself locked in a 21-21 stalemate after eight-and-a-half minutes. UC Irvine though scored the next six points to surge in front for certain, eventually shooting 50.0 (18-for-36) percent during the first half and leading by as much as 15 before taking a 52-42 lead into the break.
Into the second half, Cal Poly closed within eight points of UC Irvine three times – including a 73-65 deficit with 12-and-a-half minutes to go following a layup by freshman Ali Assran. The Anteaters, however, answered with an 11-4 run and maintained a double-digit lead the remainder of the night.
Up Next: Cal Poly closes the regular season on Saturday, March 7 when hosting Cal State Bakersfield at 4 p.m. Prior to the game, Cal Poly will honor its lone senior, Luka Tarlac.
Having already clinched a spot as one of eight programs for the March 11-14 Big West Championship, Cal Poly landed the No. 8 seed after Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis – who entered play Thursday just one game ahead of the Mustangs in the standings – both prevailed.
With 15 points, Hamad Mousa – the Big West’s leading scorer at 20.3 points per game – improved his season total to 608. He requires just 51 more points to overtake Stuart Thomas (659, 1990-91) for the all-time single season lead.
Also, 4-for-4 from the free throw line Thursday, Mousa brought his season total to 174 free throws to match current Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Sanders (2023-24) for the second highest single season tally in program history and just four behind Stuart Thomas’s program record from 1990-91. Mousa’s 87.4 percent free throw mark this season also ranks eighth all-time.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)
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