Royer and Eversley score 23 apiece, Mustangs top CSUN to snap road slide

Posted: Feb 28, 2013 9:07 PM by Andrew Masuda
Updated: Feb 28, 2013 10:38 PM

Royer and Eversley drop 23 each, Mustangs top CSUN 81-61

Dylan Royer made his first four 3-point shots and finished 7 for 8 from long range to tie a career-high with 23 points to help the Cal Poly men's basketball team rout Cal State Northridge 81-61 in a Big West Conference game on Thursday night. The win was Cal Poly's first road victory since its conference opening win at UC Irvine on December 29. The Mustangs had lost six in a row away from the Mott Athletics Center.

Cal Poly improved to 9-6 in conference and 14-12 overall. The Matadors dropped to 4-12 in Big West games and 13-16 for the season.

Royer scored the Mustangs first nine points of the game on three point buckets. His fourth-straight bucket gave Cal Poly a 16-9 lead with 13:09 to play. Cal Poly went on a 14-2 run in the first half to take a commanding 23-9 lead with 9:17 to play. They led 33-22 in the closing seconds of the first half when Jamal Johnson drove to the hoop and found Chris O'Brien, who drained a 3-ball from the corner. The Matadors tried to get a last shot up before the buzzer, but Royer tipped the ball loose and Johnson flipped it up ahead to Royer, who laid it up and in at the buzzer to give Cal Poly a 38-22 lead at halftime.

Royer and Chris Eversley led the team with 23 points each. Eversley was 3 for 3 from downtown and 8 of 12 from the floor overall. He added a team-best 8 rebounds.

Cal Poly shot 58 percent from the floor on 29 for 50 shooting. The Mustangs made 12 of their 15 shots from beyond the arc for a program record 80 percent clip.

Johnson finished with 8 points and a team-best 9 assists. Drake U'u racked up 6 assists and 4 points. O'Brien finished with 8 points.

The Matadors pulled down 35 rebounds to Cal Poly's 23, but shot just 35 % from the floor.

The Mustangs return to action on Saturday at 9:30 pm California time as they take on Hawaii in Honolulu for their final road game of the regular season.