Record-setting game by Bandelj leads Cal Poly to road win in Big West opener
FULLERTON, Calif. (KEYT) - Sophomore guard Peter Bandelj finished with a career high 37 points – including breaking the Cal Poly men’s basketball program single-game record with nine three-pointers – as the Mustangs sank 18 total three-pointers to open Big West play with a 94-91 victory at Cal State Fullerton.
Sophomore guard Hamad Mousa added 27 points for Cal Poly (5-5, 1-0), which trailed Cal State Fullerton, 52-49, with 18 minutes to play before Bandelj hit three-pointers of successive possessions to place the Mustangs in front. Mousa followed with a layup before Bandelj nailed his seventh three-pointer of the night to hand the Mustangs their first double-digit lead.
A Mousa three-pointer – one of four drained against the Titans – stretched Cal Poly’s advantage as far as 79-61 with seven-and-a-half minutes to play.
The Titans, however, kept Cal Poly scoreless the next three minutes to close their deficit to single digits. Cal State Fullerton eventually cut the gap to 83-79 with 99 seconds left after guard Kiwane Garris, Jr. converted a three-point play before a three-pointer by guard Jaden Henderson with 37 seconds to go trimmed the deficit to two.
Cal State Fullerton twice came within a point of Cal Poly’s lead in the final minute but, with the Titans forced to foul to regain possession, Bandelj and junior guard Jake Davis each knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Mustangs in front.
During a game that featured 10 lead changes (with the Mustangs trailing for just two combined minutes), Cal Poly shot 49.1 (27-for-55) percent from the floor and 48.6 (18-for-37) percent from three-point range.
Guard Guzman Vasilic matched a season high with 15 points for Cal Poly while fellow sophomore Cayden Ward finished with 11. Mousa led Cal Poly with seven rebounds while senior Luka Tarlac produced a career high six assists.
Up Next: Cal Poly continues Big West play and closes Bold Week when hosting UC Riverside on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center. Cal Poly seeks its first back-to-back wins to open Big West play since starting the 2013-14 season 3-0.
The Thursday victory marked Cal Poly’s first win in a Big West opener since defeating CSUN, 67-57, on Dec. 29, 2022.
Cal Poly’s 18 total three-pointers tied for the fourth highest single game figure in program history. The Mustangs twice hit 18 three-pointers last season while the program record remains 21.
Scoring in double digits in all nine appearances, Hamad Mousa remained second among Big West players at 19.3 points per game.
Enjoying his seventh double-digit scoring game of the year, Bandelj now sits third among Big West scorers with 17.9 points per game.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly)
