Redshirt freshman forward Kyle Colvin scored a career-high 15 points, leading a quartet of double-digit scorers, as Cal Poly defeated Simpson 89-45 on Friday night inside Mott Athletics Center.
Freshman guard Colby Rogers added 14 points, graduate guard Jamal Smith 13 and junior guard Keith Smith 11 as the Mustangs (1-2) gave John Smith his initial victory as head coach of the Mustangs.
No Simpson (1-4) players scored in double figures.
Cal Poly trailed only once in the game, at 5-4 after Blake Trent hit a three-pointer for Simpson with 17:47 to play in the first half. The Mustangs went on a 10-0 run to turn a 20-16 lead into a 30-16 advantage and settled for a 36-26 lead at the break.
Ahead 36-26 at halftime, Cal Poly opened the second half with 10-0 and 36-8 runs to win going away.
Cal Poly scored 43 points off 27 Simpson turnovers, tallied 40 points in the paint and the Mustang bench outscored the Red Hawks’ reserves 36-21.
The Mustangs connected on 53 percent of their floor shots (34 of 64), including 11 of 20 from three-point range, while holding Simpson, an NAIA school from Redding, Calif., to 31 percent shooting from the floor (16 of 51). The Red Hawks were seven of 21 from long range.
Cal Poly out rebounded Simpson 41-30, led by Colvin and Jamal Smith with seven each. The Mustangs turned the ball over 15 times.
Keith Smith contributed a team-leading six assists and four steals for Cal Poly, which is now 41-1 against non-Division I schools since transitioning to Division I in 1994.
The Mustangs play their next five games on the road, beginning with Saint Mary’s on Sunday at 5 p.m.
-Provided by Cal Poly
