Cal Poly cruises past NAIA-school Westcliff to open campaign

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Junior forward Alimamy Koroma (above) recorded a game high 17 points and graduate guard Jacob Davison finished with 14 as the Cal Poly men's basketball program opened the 2021-22 regular season and a three-game home stand inside Mott Athletics Center with an 86-53 victory against NAIA Westcliff on Tuesday evening.
 
Freshman guard Julien Franklin added 10 points for Cal Poly (1-0), which trailed Irvine-based Westcliff just twice, never by more than two points and not for the final 34 minutes. During the first all-time meeting between the two programs, Cal Poly outrebounded the Warriors, 50-37.
 
Thirteen of the 14 Mustangs who appeared in the matchup scored with three – guards Daniel Esparza (eight) and Hayden Jory (two) and center Matur Dhal (one) – recording their first collegiate points.
 
Koroma grabbed a team leading eight rebounds.
 
Cal Poly's three-game home stand continues against North Dakota State on Friday, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. before concluding versus Sacramento State on Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
 
During Tuesday's matchup, a jumper from Warriors guard Joshua Harrison provided Westcliff its final lead of the evening at 6-4, four minutes into action. Cal Poly responded by keeping Westcliff to a solitary bucket during an ensuing five-minute span and, behind a 15-2 run, the Mustangs surged ahead, 19-8.
 
Westcliff cut Cal Poly's advantage to single digits five times the remainder of the opening half with the Mustangs taking a 32-23 lead into the break.
 
With Cal Poly leading 35-24 a minute into the second half, Westcliff received a jumper from forward Abdul Abdullah before Harrison sank a three-pointer to shorten the deficit to 35-29 with 17-and-a-half to play.
 
Cal Poly, however, countered with a 13-3 run to go back up, 48-32, with 14 minutes remaining. Franklin, Koroma and Esparza followed with jumpers as Cal Poly ran the advantage to 54-34 with 12 minutes to go.

(article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).