Sophomore guards Cayden Ward and Hamad Mousa led the Cal Poly Mustangs men’s basketball team to a 92-85 victory over Utah on Thursday night in Salt Lake City. Ward scored a career-high 28 points, while Mousa added a personal best of 26 points. The Mustangs hit 14 three-pointers during the game.
Guzman Vasilic contributed a season-high 13 points, and Pewter Bandelj finished with 11 for Cal Poly, which improved its record to 3-3. The Mustangs shot 50 percent from the field and made more than half their attempts from beyond the arc.
Ward also grabbed eight rebounds as Cal Poly handed Utah its first loss of the season. “A Mousa tip-in handed Cal Poly the 7-5 lead four minutes into action before three-pointers from Bandelj and Vasilic stretched the early advantage,” according to the team. The Mustangs took control early and maintained their lead after building a double-digit advantage midway through the first half.
Cal Poly’s last win against a current Big 12 program was in December 1949, when they defeated Arizona State. Thursday’s result was also their first victory over a power four opponent since beating Stanford in November 2024.
Ward and Mousa combined for an efficient first half, making 12 out of 13 shots between them and scoring 18 points each before halftime. The Mustangs led by as many as 15 points in the opening period and were ahead at halftime, 50-39.
Utah narrowed the gap late in the second half with a run that brought them within two points, but Cal Poly responded to keep their lead intact. Key baskets by Bandelj and Davis helped secure the win down the stretch.
Mousa’s performance moved him into first place among Big West scorers this season, averaging nearly 20 points per game. Ward’s nine field goals were also a season high for any Mustang player so far this year.
Cal Poly will finish its six-game road trip with games against Northern Arizona on Monday, Nov. 24, and Southeast Missouri on Tuesday, Nov. 25, both played in Flagstaff, Arizona.
