Sophomore guard Hamad Mousa set a new personal scoring record with 34 points, but the Cal Poly Mustangs men’s basketball team lost to CSUN 95-90 on Thursday night in Northridge. The Mustangs held a lead of up to 14 points midway through the second half before CSUN rallied for the win.
Cayden Ward contributed 21 points for Cal Poly (6-11, 2-3). Jake Davis helped extend the Mustangs’ lead to 68-54 with a three-point play and 13 minutes left in the game. However, CSUN (10-7, 3-2) responded by scoring 41 points in the final stretch and finished with a shooting percentage of 52.2 percent.
Mousa made seven three-pointers, his best mark as a college player. The Mustangs as a team made 16 threes, just two short of their season high set at Cal State Fullerton on December 4. Peter Bandelj added 13 points and Mousa led Cal Poly with seven rebounds.
Cal Poly started strong by holding CSUN scoreless on its first seven shots and leading early at 10-2 after two quick threes from Ward. CSUN recovered to shoot over fifty-three percent in the first half and tied the game at 20 midway through the period. A series of baskets from Grady Lewis and Joshua O’Garro gave CSUN its first lead at 26-24, which they extended to as much as seven before an eight-point run put Cal Poly back ahead. A late three-pointer from Guzman Vasilic gave Cal Poly a narrow halftime lead of 44-41.
Kieran Elliott hit two free throws early in the second half to give Cal Poly its first double-digit advantage at 56-46 with fifteen minutes remaining, soon followed by their largest lead of fourteen points. But CSUN quickly closed the gap with three straight scoring possessions and ultimately took control for good after Mahmoud Fofana’s layup with just over three minutes left.
Mousa has now scored in double digits in all sixteen games this season and leads the Big West Conference with an average of 21.7 points per game overall and is averaging more than twenty-seven points per contest against conference opponents so far this year. The Mustangs attempted forty-four three-pointers during Thursday’s game, marking their highest total this season.
Cal Poly will return home to Mott Athletics Center for a two-game homestand starting Saturday, January 10 against UC Davis at 2 p.m.
