Jordan Lewis made a lay-up with 30 seconds left and David Hanson hit a pair of free throws five seconds to play as Cal Poly rallied in the second half to defeat visiting UCSB, 60-57 on Saturday night. The loss ended the Gauchos’ six-game winning streak.
UCSB (17-9 overall, 11-4 in the Big West) made just one field goal in the final nine minutes – a 3-pointer by Justin Joyner with 5:54 to play – and the Mustangs (11-17 overall, 7-8 in the Big West) came from eight behind to earn the split of the season series. It was the first time this season that Santa Barbara lost a game after leading at halftime.
“We just didn’t do the things we had to do to win late in the game,” said head coach Bob Williams. “We didn’t make shots and we didn’t make plays. The thing I am most disappointed about is how badly we were outrebound (46-39), and that proved very costly.”
Hanson was dominant on the boards with 17 rebounds. He also had 11 points, including the final two that iced the win. After he made his second free throw, the Gauchos got the ball in but a desperation 3-pointer by James Powell went awry as the horn sounded.
Charles Anderson led four Cal Poly players in double-figures with 15, all on 3-point baskets. Shawn Lewis added 14.
Orlando Johnson led UCSB with 21 points, but he was the only player in double-figures. He scored 15 of his points in the first half as the Gauchos came from eight behind to claim a six-point lead.
Trailing 16-8 UCSB went on a 14-0 run to take a 22-16 lead. A 3-pointer by James Nunnally capped the rally with 7:36 to play in the first half. During that stretch, Cal Poly missed eight straight shots before Shawn Lewis threw-down a thunderous cunk with 6:47 to play, igniting a 7-0 run. Despite the late Mustang charge, Santa Barbara led at the half, 33-27.
The Gauchos shot just 30.4% in the second half and were held to 24 points. Overall, they finished at 34.0%. The Mustangs hit just 31.6% of their shots overall and just 25.7% from 3-point range.
UCSB, which remains in first-place by one-half game over Pacific, will play its final game of the regular season on Wednesday, Mar. 3 when it hosts UC Irvine. Seniors James Powell and Paul Roemer will be saluted prior to the game.
