Mustangs come back to nip Northeastern

David Nwaba’s ability to drive and get to the basket continues to put a ton of pressure on opposing defenses. By Owen Main

After shooting under 30 percent in a first half where they scored only 17 points, Cal Poly mounted a sustained charge, erased a 14-point deficit, and beat Northeastern 60-58 on Wednesday night at Santa Clara’s Cable Car Classic.

Brian Bennett led all scorers with 19 points and also grabbed 9 rebounds. David Nwaba scored 17 points and Kyle Toth scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Joel Awich also grabbed nine rebounds for Cal Poly. Reese Morgan, the team’s second leading scorer coming into the game, was held to just 11 minutes and scored just three points — all on free throws in the final minute.

Trailing by 14 points at halftime, Cal Poly came out of the gate quickly in the second half, mounting a 15-4 run over the first 4:26 of the half to cut the lead to 35-32. Northeastern fought-off multiple charges in the middle of the second half, building their lead back up to as many as eight points. But they just couldn’t put Cal Poly away. The Mustangs finished the game on an 18-9 run over the last 7:42 to claim their second straight victory away from Mott Athletics Center.

Bennett becoming a go-to guy

Brian Bennett is becoming Cal Poly’s late-game go-to guy in the low post. He shot an efficient 9-15 from the field and continues to be more active on the glass. Late in the game, he made a big low-post basket and grabbed a key offensive rebound. He is now the team’s second leading scorer at 12.2 points per game and is averaging a team-high 6.8 rebounds as well. Cal Poly is not deep in the front court, and Bennett’s ability to stay healthy and out of foul trouble will probably be a decent indicator for this team’s sustained success.

Ball control

Not turning the ball over is always a huge key for Cal Poly. On Wednesday, it probably helped make-up for a 29 percent shooting effort in the first half and being out-rebounded 38-29. Northeastern only turned it over 10 times, but the Mustangs’ number stayed at 5. Not turning the ball over will keep Cal Poly in games, even when their shooting is letting them down early.

Nwaba stays nasty

Bennett isn’t the only player who is taking a step forward as 2014 comes to an end. David Nwaba continues to impress with both decision-making and confidence in his mid-range game. His drives seem much more controlled, but he’s still getting his points — leading the team with 14.8 per game. Keeping his high-energy style up while playing high minutes was an issue for Nwaba last year, but it seems like less of an issue this season.

After wrist surgery and a concussion, the junior doesn’t seem any worse for the wear, probably a testament to his toughness.

Of course, it’s nice when you can take it to the hoop like this…

David Nwaba Dunk from Jeremy Jauregui on Vimeo.

Cal Poly is learning what kind of a contributor Kyle Toth can be from behind the arc. By Owen Main

Falling-in

Kyle Toth, a junior guard who transferred into the program this season, has Division I experience, having played at Army as a freshman. Toth, who wears Dylan Royer’s number 13, also has begun to show he may also be a deadly shooter. As Cal Poly made their final push on Wednesday, Toth ran the point while Ridge Shipley and Maliik Love looked-on from the bench. Love finished the game, but Toth, who has earned a starting spot in recent games, made a number of big jumpers to counter the really good offense Northeastern was running.

Look at it this way — after Wednesday’s game, Cal Poly is now shooting about 25% from 3-point range on the season. Perhaps more attempts from Toth will help this number improve, because right now that part of Cal Poly’s offense isn’t the most efficient thing.

If the Mustangs can have one or two perimeter players making jumpers on any given night, driving lanes start opening-up for Nwaba, and the paint gets a lot less cluttered for Bennett. Toth’s ability to knock-down jumpers consistently and also handle the ball a little was a wrinkle I haven’t seen yet this year. For a change of pace, I liked what I saw on Wednesday.

The longest possession…

Mid-way through the second half, Cal Poly fans had to be pulling their collective hair out. In the midst of trying to cut a deficit down, Cal Poly played defense for 71 seconds straight. That’s one minute and 11 seconds. With the help of three fouls on Cal Poly and an offensive rebound, Northeastern finally scored, completing the possession with a bucket. Cal Poly trailed by eight with 12:31 left, and it just didn’t feel like it was going to be the Mustangs’ night.

These types of possessions can be game-defining. One of the fouls, a loose ball foul on a rebound, was called on Morgan, despite his clear inside position. Cal Poly could have gotten frustrated, hung their heads, and allowed the lead to balloon much higher than 8 at that point. Instead, David Nwaba stole the ball and dunked two possessions later and Cal Poly continued to battle.

Mental toughness has been a calling card of recent Joe Callero teams, and it looks as though this team might finally be rounding into form in that department.

Battle in Seattle

Cal Poly plays Gonzaga at Key Arena in Seattle on Saturday night at 7:00.