Cal Poly gets first Big West win of the season

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Senior wing Mark Crowe matched a career high with six three-pointers and finished with a team leading 21 points Friday afternoon as the Cal Poly men’s basketball program earned its first Big West Conference victory of the season with a 76-70 triumph against CSUN inside Mott Athletics Center.  

Sophomore forward Alimamy Koroma recorded a career best 20 points while sophomore guard Colby Rogers added 15 for Cal Poly (3-10, 1-6), which produced 19 assists against a season low six turnovers. During a matchup that featured 11 lead changes, Cal Poly – which snapped a six-game slide on Friday – grabbed command for certain at 69-68 with three-and-a-half minutes to play after Rogers sank a corner three-pointer.  

Friday’s win marked Cal Poly’s fourth home victory against CSUN in the last five matchups inside Mott Athletics Center.  

Koroma also grabbed a season best nine rebounds for Cal Poly, which completes its two-game series versus CSUN on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. 

CSUN and Cal Poly traded buckets during the opening three possessions before the Mustangs took their first lead of the day at 9-7 following a Koroma layup four minutes into action. Cal Poly, however, was kept scoreless for an ensuing seven-minute span with CSUN’s corresponding 11-0 run placing the Mustangs in an 18-9 deficit.  

Rogers, however, snapped Cal Poly’s drought with a jumper before Crowe knocked down three-pointers on three of four possessions to bolster an 11-4 run that dropped the deficit to 22-20.   

Ultimately taking a 33-29 disadvantage into the break, Cal Poly needed just four minutes to regain the lead in the second half after the second of successive Koroma layups placed the Mustangs up, 40-38. Crowe then sank his fifth three-pointer of the afternoon to further Cal Poly’s lead to five points. 

The lead switched hands seven times during an ensuing four-minute span before CSUN carved out a 53-49 advantage following back-to-back layups by guard Darius Brown II. 

Cal Poly climbed within a point of CSUN’s lead four times before finally overtaking the Matadors at 69-68 following the Rogers three-pointer with three-and-a-half minutes to play. Senior point guard Keith Smith followed with a layup as Cal Poly cemented its first victory since Dec. 13. 

Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics.