University of Delaware Athletics
University of Delaware
Cal Poly
Cal Poly Uses Dominant First Half Run To Race Past Delaware Men's Basketball, 78-60
11/22/2014 12:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Cal Poly closed the first half with a dominating run as the Mustangs opened up a huge halftime lead and went on to defeat the University of Delaware men's basketball team, 78-60, in non-conference action Friday night at the Mott Athletics Center.
The Mustangs, who improved to 2-1 on the year, led 20-16 at the 7:46 mark of the opening half following three free throws by Blue Hen sophomore guard Cazmon Hayes, but took over from there.
Cal Poly scored the next seven points, and following a Kory Holden (left) three-pointer, went on a 16-0 tear to extend the margin to 43-19 with 1:13 on the clock. Hayes finally ended the spurt with a three-point play, but Ridge Shipley buried a three-pointer and Brian Bennett beat the horn with a jumper to make it a 48-22 margin at the break. From there Delaware only got closer than 20 when Chivarsky Corbett (below) drained a last minute three-pointer to cap the scoring.
Shipley finished with a career-high 21 points for the Mustangs, who shot 18 of 33 (54.5%) during the opening half and knocked down 12 triples for the game. Bennett contributed 12 points for Cal Poly, David Nwaba chipped in with 10, and Maliik Love dished out a game-high eight assists.
Hayes paced Delaware (0-2) for the second straight game with a career-high 22 points, as he knocked down three treys and finished 9 of 10 from the foul line. Holden reached double figures for the second consecutive contest with 12 points, while Corbett added nine on three shots from long range. Barnett Harris grabbed six rebounds as he led UD in boards for the second straight game.
Delaware, playing without junior forward Marvin King-Davis who missed the contest with a recurring hamstring injury, utilized a nine-man rotation that featured five freshmen and four sophomores.
“We ran into a buzzsaw in the first half; they didn't miss many shots and we didn't force them to miss,” said Blue Hen head coach Monté Ross. “But we learned a lot about our team in the second half. Our intensity was good during the second period, we just need to play with that intensity for 40 minutes. There are a lot of things we need to get better at; we have a bunch of young guys and they need to understand what it takes to succeed.”
After shooting just 6 of 25 from the field during the opening 20 minutes, Delaware responded to score 38 second half points as the Blue Hens outscored Cal Poly by eight in the final stanza.
The Mustangs increased the lead to 64-29 six minutes into the period but UD would not quit as the Blue Hens scored nine straight points, culminated by a Devonne Pinkard three-pointer, to close within 26 points with 11:39 left.
Three minutes later Anthony Mosley scored seven consecutive Delaware points, burying a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut the margin to 69-45. However the Blue Hens would never seriously threaten as the Mustangs put the finishing touches on the victory.
Game Notes:
• Delaware fell to 2-7 in games in the state of California
• Cal Poly avenged an 82-72 loss to the Blue Hens in Newark in Jan. 4, 2014
• The game featured two teams that competed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, as Cal Poly captured the Big West Tournament a year ago
• Cal Poly held a 41-36 rebounding edge and committed just four turnovers
• The margin was Delaware's worst loss since a 19-point defeat at North Dakota State last December
