HENDERSON, Nev. — In an impressive display, Owen Koonce led Cal Poly with 20 points, while Cayden Ward contributed significantly off the bench with a double-double, guiding the team to defeat UC Riverside 96-83 in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference Tournament on Thursday night.
As the seventh seed, the Mustangs (16-18) were already considered underdogs, but they delivered a stellar performance and are now set to face the No. 2 seed, UC Irvine, in the semifinals on Friday. The other semifinal will feature top-seeded UC San Diego against fifth-seeded UC Santa Barbara.
Koonce had a noteworthy performance shooting 5 of 10 from the field, including three triples, and capitalized on free throw opportunities, hitting 7 out of 8. Ward electrified the game with his energy, contributing 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Jarred Hyder was instrumental with 18 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Freshman Peter Bandelj was on fire from beyond the arc, connecting 5 of 6 three-point attempts to gather 17 points, and Isaac Jessup supported with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
On the opposing end, Isaiah Moses stood out for UC Riverside with a remarkable 30-point performance, shooting 11-for-18 and hitting three three-pointers. Barrington Hargress escalated the attack with 21 points and five assists, and Kaleb Smith added 12 points alongside 11 rebounds but was unfortunately fouled out.
During the match, Cal Poly gained a grip with a 45-36 advantage at halftime and impressively shot 18 of 35 from 3-point range. UC Riverside struggled behind the arc, making only 9 of 32 attempts.
