Up 14 points with just over four minutes left to play, Cal Poly Men’s Basketball seemed poised to cruise to their first true road win since Nov. 28, 2022.
The Eagles (1-3) cut the deficit to one with under a minute remaining, sending the Mustangs (3-2) reeling after putting on a fullcourt press.
However, freshman guard Peter Bandelj scored the last six Cal Poly points to escape Cheney with an 82-78 victory.
It was part of a double-digit scoring night for Bandelj, who has quickly become an integral piece off the bench, leading the second unit with nine points per game.
It was another complete team effort against the Eagles after four players scored double digits in their last game against Seattle.
Five players scored 10 or more points, with graduate swingman Owen Koonce leading the way with 19 points and graduate forward Mac Riniker chipping in 15 points while playing crucial defense.
In the first five games of last season, Cal Poly attempted 77 three-point shots. After the fifth game this season, the Mustangs have attempted 148, nearly doubling their pace from last year.
Cal Poly came into the game as one of the most turnover-prone teams in the nation, with 17.8 turnovers per game, and they raised that mark with 22 turnovers against Eastern Washington.
Cal Poly’s uptempo nature can partially explain both stats under new head coach Mike DeGeorge. The 73.5 adjusted tempo rating per Kenpom is tied for 24th in the nation and would have made Cal Poly the fifth-fastest team last season.
More possessions equals more opportunities to turn the ball over or shoot from behind the arc, but that’s the tradeoff when you get out in transition like Cal Poly does.
Even with all the extra possessions, ending over 25% with turnovers is not sustainable once the team enters Big West play.
The Mustangs did a better job creating live ball turnovers with 15 steals compared to 16 total over the last two games.
Senior guard Isaac Jessup led the team with six steals to go along with his team high five assists.
With the win against Eastern Washington, Cal Poly extended their winning streak to three after dropping the season’s first two games to San Francisco and Cal.
The Mustangs play a tough four-game stretch with games against Arizona State, Saint Mary’s and Stanford before opening up Big West play.
Cal Poly will have a chance to extend its winning streak against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. in Tempe.
