Cal Poly stays hot as they crush Portland State for fourth straight win
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Junior forward Brantly Stevenson led three Mustangs in double-digit scoring figures Saturday evening with 20 points as the Cal Poly men's basketball program extended its lengthiest winning streak in seven years to four straight victories with a 72-49 decision against Portland State inside Mott Athletics Center.
Junior guard Kobe Sanders added 12 points and senior guard Trevon Taylor finished with 10 for Cal Poly (5-3), which limited Portland State (5-5) to just five second-half field goals in turning a four-point lead at the break into a 23-point victory. The Mustangs, who shot 49.1 (26-for-53) percent from the floor, outrebounded Portland State, 42-20.
Taylor also grabbed a game high seven rebounds while junior guard Camren Pierce produced a game leading five assists.
Portland State, which entered play Saturday ranked ninth among 352 Division I programs with 85.3 points per game, was held under 70 for the first time this season and to its lowest point total in eight years.
Cal Poly's four-game winning streak is its lengthiest since November 2015.
Cal Poly resumes action on Tuesday, Dec. 13, visiting Washington on Pac-12 Networks. Tip time inside Alaska Airlines Arena is 7:30 p.m.
Keyed by a 4-for-4 shooting start and nine early points from Stevenson, Cal Poly led after six minutes, 13-9.
The Mustangs received 18 first-half points from Stevenson while forcing Portland State into a nine turnovers, but still trailed with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening period, 27-24. Cal Poly, however, kept Portland State without a field goal the remainder of the half, constructing an 11-4 run to take a 35-31 lead into the break.
Cal Poly opened the second half with a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 44-31. Facing the game's first double-digit deficit, however, Portland State turned Cal Poly over on three successive possessions and knocked down shots each sequence to cut the gap to 44-39 with 12 minutes remaining.
The Mustangs, however, limited Portland State to just two free throws during an ensuing six-minute span and stretched the lead up to 60-41.
(Courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)
