Upset bid by Cal Poly falls short at Pac-12 school Washington

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif . - Guards Chance Hunter and Trevon Taylor (above) each finished with 13 points, but the Cal Poly men's basketball team – which led Washington by 11 at halftime Tuesday evening and seeking the program's first victory against a Pac-12 Conference foe in 10 years – fell inside Alaska Airlines Arena, 74-68.
 
Graduate guard Nick Fleming added 12 points for Cal Poly (5-4), which led by as much as 14 early in the second half before being outscored, 50-30, to close the matchup. Seeing a four-game win streak snapped with Tuesday's result, Cal Poly committed just 10 turnovers and outrebounded Washington (8-3), 35-30.
 
The Huskies, however, shot 66.7 (16-for-24) percent from the floor during the second half to pull away.
 
Cal Poly returns home to host Weber State on Friday, Dec. 16. Tip time from Mott Athletics Center is 7 p.m.
 
Washington scored Tuesday's first basket before Cal Poly recorded the next five with a Taylor three-pointer handing the Mustangs a 12-3 advantage after four minutes. Cal Poly extended the lead as far as 25-10 during the first half after Fleming sank one of the program's six first-half three-pointers.
 
Cal Poly, which shot 42.4 (14-for-33) percent from the floor during the first half, took a 35-24 lead into the break.  
 
Hunter opened the second half with another three-pointer and the Mustangs still led 40-30 with 17 minutes remaining. However, three-pointers on back-to-back Washington possessions by forward Keion Brooks, Jr. and guard Cole Bajema quickly cut the Cal Poly lead to four points.
 
A dunk from Cal Poly junior center Bryan Penn-Johnson stretched Cal Poly's lead to 51-44 with 11-and-a-half minutes to play before the Mustangs were kept without a field goal for six minutes.
 
Washington assumed a 56-51 lead during Cal Poly's drought and the Mustangs battled back to tie the matchup at 58-58 after another Fleming three-pointer. Cal Poly deadlocked the scoreline once more at 60-60 with three minutes remaining, but failed to overtake the Huskies.  

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)