Moraga, Calif. – Graduate student Owen Koonce scored a team-high 16 points (including 12 points in the second half), and graduate student Mac Riniker also scored in double figures, but the second half’s breakthrough was for California. -It wasn’t enough for the Poly boys basketball team, falling 80-66 against St. Mary’s on Saturday night.
After trailing by 16 points at halftime, Cal Poly (3-4) was able to get within five points after a hot start to the second half, but St. Mary’s (6-4), who finished with 18 points in this week’s Top 25, 0) won. Coach Paul — weathered the storm after giving up a goal midway through the second half to secure a victory in the first meeting between the two sides in more than five years.
After playing their final three games on the road, the Mustangs return to the Mott Athletics Center on Tuesday to host Grambling State. Tipoff begins at 7pm on ESPN+.
Rinikel helped the Mustangs get off to a strong start against the Gaels, making all three 3-pointers to start the game and giving Cal Poly an 11-7 lead with 15:46 left in the game. Seconds later, the first media timeout was reached. first half.
After the timeout, St. Mary’s went on a 14-2 run to take a 21-13 lead. As the first half progressed, the Gaels gradually began to build an advantage and entered halftime holding a 47-31 lead. Rinikel led the Mustangs with a team-high 13 points in the first half, making 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. The Gaels shot 50 percent from the field (18 of 36) and made seven 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
Cal Poly came out with a goal to start the second half and went on a 17-6 run to cut the deficit to single digits. Senior Ethan Menzies sank a 3-pointer with 16:29 left in the second half to pull the Mustangs within nine points. Cal Poly’s back-to-back steals then led to easy layups in transition by Rinikel and Koonce, and the Mustangs forced a St. Mary’s timeout with 15:21 left, making the score 53-48 in favor of the Gaels. It became. It was the closest game since Cal Poly led 16-13 with 12:22 left in the first half.
For the first few minutes of the game, the Mustangs remained within striking distance of the Gaels as both teams cooled down from the field. Then with Cal leading 59-54 with just over 10 minutes left, St. Mary’s went on a 15-5 run over the next five minutes to pull away from the Mustangs for good.
Rinikel tied a season-high 15 points and had a team-high five assists. Kunce made 7 of 11 from the field and grabbed five rebounds, and senior Isaac Jessup had four steals.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).
