Senior guard Donovan Fields scored a game-high 28 points – the second highest total of his career – and fellow guard Marcellus Garrick produced 16 as the Cal Poly men’s basketball program fended off Hawai’i for an 88-80 victory inside Mott Athletics Center Saturday evening.
Freshman forward Daxton Carr added 10 points for Cal Poly (6-19, 2-10), which recorded season highs for total points, field goal percentage (53.3), three-point percentage (58.3) and total three-pointers (14).
Cal Poly, which won for just the second time in 16 games when trailing at halftime this season, committed only seven turnovers.
Cal Poly embarks on its final road trip of the 2018-19 regular season when visiting Cal State Fullerton (Thursday, Feb. 28) and Long Beach State (Saturday, March 2). Both games tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
During a first half that featured 12 lead changes, Cal Poly entered the break trailing, 40-38. The Mustangs, however, opened the second half with an 8-0 run with Fields and Garrick knocking down three-pointers to hand the Mustangs a 46-40 lead.
Hawai’i twice shaved Cal Poly’s lead down to one point, the second instance coming at 52-51 with 14 minutes to play after guard Brocke Stepteau – who finished with 11 points, 11 assists and zero turnovers – hit a jumper.
Cal Poly, however, responded with a 14-5 run to grab the game’s only double-digit lead at 66-56 with 10 minutes remaining.
Hawai’i then kept Cal Poly to just a Garrick three-pointer during a four-minute span and cut the Mustang lead down to 69-68.
Sophomore wing Mark Crowe, however, knocked down his second three-pointer of the night on the next possession. Fields then added two free throws to push Cal Poly’s lead back up to 74-68 with five minutes to play.
Hawai’i came within a possession of Cal Poly’s lead just twice down the stretch.
–Provided by Cal Poly
