Cal Poly's Cold Shooting Impacts Big West Tournament Quarterfinal Game

Santa Lucia, California - Quentin Jones, a rookie guard, led three Mustangs in double-digit scoring on Thursday night with a career-high 22 points.

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However, even though the Cal Poly men's basketball team made a season-high 13 three-pointers, they lost to Long Beach State inside Mott Athletics Center, 89-82, in the closing minutes of play.

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After a jumper by rookie guard Justin Page, Cal Poly (4-11, 0-3) gained an advantage with seven and a half minutes left, led by junior forward Paul Bizimana, who scored 19 points.

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But with four and a half minutes remaining, Long Beach State guard Messiah Thompson made a three-pointer to end Cal Poly's last lead of the game and ignite a 12-2 run that put The Beach up 67-59.

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For the remainder of the game, the Mustangs, who also had a career-high nine assists from senior guard Kobe Sanders in addition to 14 points, were unable to reduce their deficit to less than five points.

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After three and a half minutes, the Mustangs led 12-7 after making their first four field goal attempts of the game on Thursday. But the Beach answered with a 15–2 run that kept the Mustangs off the scoreboard for seven minutes, giving them a 20–14 lead halfway through the half.

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