Box Score San Luis Obispo, CA--You can't spell Cal Poly without the D ... Actually you can, but the Mustangs Men's Basketball Team has become known for clamping down on the defensive end over the past several years, and Saturday night was no exception as the Highlanders fell, 66-49, at Mott Athletics Center.

The Mustangs used a 1-3-1 halfcourt trap on defense the majority of the season to hold opponents to under 60 points per game, and it seemed to bother the Highlanders early as Cal Poly jumped out to 9-2 lead. UC Riverside committed two turnovers and missed three of four shots to begin the game, but shortly thereafter regained their composure and began to solve the Mustangs' defensive pressure going on a 20-7 run to lead 22-16 with 5:47 to go.

The teams entered the intermission tied at 22 with the Highlanders getting nine points from Jaylen Bland thanks to three three-pointers, and seven from Steven Thornton.

Cal Poly eschewed their 1-3-1 for most of the second half, and the Highlanders tried to take advantage of the man-to-man to get Taylor Johns more involved in the offense. He responded with 13 points in the final 20 minutes of play to finish with a game-high 19.
 
A Johns' dunk with 8:14 to go tied the game again at 37, but Cal Poly scored the next 11 points over a nearly three-minute stretch to secure the win. UCR missed three shots and committed one turnover during that span, while the Mustangs buried two shots from long distance, converted a pair of layups, and made a free throw.
 
Bland and Thornton, who were so instrumental in pacing the Highlanders offense in the first half, combined to score five points in the second and made just two of eight shots from the field. Reese Morgan and Ridge Shipley led Cal Poly with 14 points each off the bench.

UC Riverside is off until next Saturday, January 31 when the Highlanders host CSUN at the SRC arena beginning at 5 pm PT.