Mustangs Take a Parting Gift

SAN LUIS OBISPO —  There must be something to be said about proving you’re the best dang 6-9 team in the Big West Conference.

For Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, that was all that was left to play for and the Mustangs reveled in it after beating UC Irvine, 92-82, Saturday in front of 2,740 at Mott Gymnasium.

The Mustangs (7-9, 14-14) are ineligible for the conference tournament, as they can not receive its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament--schools cannot go to the tournament the first seven years on the Division I level.

“This was obviously a big game for us,” said guard Mike Wozniak, who had 18 points, but made only four of 15 shots. “To finish second means a lot to this team.”

The Mustangs, with their up-tempo style, earned it by putting away the Anteaters (6-10, 9-17) with a series of runs in the second half. Irvine led, 49-48, with 16 minutes left, when Chris Bjorklund (17 points) sparked an 11-1 spurt. San Luis Obispo never trailed again.

Josh Porter (15 points) and Bjorklund made key baskets in a 15-5 run that gave San Luis Obispo a 76-63 lead with 4:58 left and the rest of the game was a matter of attrition.

“Our guards did not control the game,” Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said. “[San Luis Obispo] made a run, hit a couple threes and that was the ball game.”

Leaving the Mustangs to celebrate second place and a .500 record. A little overreaction, maybe. But after losses to Arkansas State, Sacramento State and Eastern Washington--among others--in nonconference play, and starting conference 0-4, a .500 record looks pretty good.

“When I was a kid, John Wooden signed his Pyramid of Success for me and it hangs in my office,” Mustang Coach Jeff Schneider said. “Success to me is peace of mind. We were the best team we could be and we should have peace of mind.”

Irvine, meanwhile, was seeking more tangible rewards. A second-place finish would improve its position in the conference tournament, which begins Friday in Reno.

“Reno was our team goal,” said forward Adam Stetson, who scored 15 points. “We knew we had to win one of two games on this road trip and we did that. We still had something to play for. We would have liked to win them both and get second.”

There seemed an opportunity for that early on, as the score was tied, 42-42, at halftime.

The game was ragged, as San Luis Obispo’s style--the Rick Pitino-philosophy with less-than-Pitino talent--made it that way. Irvine finished with 19 turnovers and San Luis Obispo 16.

Such reckless play increased the intensity. Irvine’s Juma Jackson and San Luis Obispo’s Ross Ketcham had to be separated after getting tangled on a rebound in the first half. Jackson was called for an intentional foul.

“You like to play that style when you’re behind,” Douglass said.

Irvine got its chance. The Anteaters kept pace for a while because of Stetson, Jason Flowers (16 points), Matt Willard (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Junior Bond (nine points, 10 assists). In most games, such a foursome would be an offensive bonanza for Irvine.

San Luis Obispo, though, had six players score in double figures. The Mustangs also made 30 of 40 free throws.

“Their depth was a key factor,” Douglass said. “When I looked at the first-half stats, they had two or three guys who were three of three from the field off the bench.”

Porter was one, and he finished with a career high in points after scoring on a layup with 2:39 left.

“I knew it too,” said Porter, who played at Mater Dei.

The game was more about personal goals in the end. Wozniak set a school record for single-season free-throw percentage (89%), making eight of nine free throws. His one miss, on his last attempt, cost him the conference record.