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Cal Poly falls to UC Santa Barbara in regular season finale

Posted at 11:39 PM, Mar 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-10 04:31:04-04

Senior guard Donovan Fields closed his Cal Poly men’s basketball career with a game-high 23 points to record his 61st collegiate double-digit scoring game, but the Mustangs completed the 2018-19 regular season with a 92-82 home loss to Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara Saturday evening inside Mott Athletics Center.

Senior guard Marcellus Garrick added 18 points and senior forward Kuba Niziol scored 14 in their final appearances for Cal Poly (6-23, 2-14), which committed just eight turnovers, but trailed for the final 32 minutes.

Fields finished his career as the first player in program history to record at least 1,000 career points, distribute 300-plus assists and produce more than 100 steals. The all-time leading free throw shooter in program history at 87.4 percent, Fields also closed his career ranked No. 9 with 1,245 points.

Garrick, meanwhile, scored 518 points in just two seasons for the Mustangs after transferring from nearby Allan Hancock College.

Niziol, a three-year letter winner for Cal Poly, finished fourth in the lineup this year at 6.6 points per game.

The Mustangs held four separate leads versus UC Santa Barbara inside the opening eight minutes, but a 13-11 advantage following a free throw by freshman forward Tuukka Jaakkola four-and-a-half minutes into action marked Cal Poly’s largest lead.

The Gauchos (21-9, 10-6) held Cal Poly to just three field goals during the ensuing six minutes to take a 28-21 lead. UC Santa Barbara eventually held a 50-38 advantage at halftime.

Cal Poly closed to within single digits of UC Santa Barbara’s lead just twice during the second half.

-Provided by Cal Poly