Cal Poly still searching for first Big West win after loss to UC Davis, as streak grows to 45

There was anticipation in Mott Athletic Center on Thursday night that the Mustangs’ match-up against UC Davis would be the end of the losing streak that’s hung over the program for the past three seasons.

According to the NCAA, Cal Poly (6-13, 0-7 Big West) now holds the third-longest losing streak in regular season conference play in NCAA history with 45 straight losses.

Colgate from 1984-1987 sits at second with 47 losses. Chicago is first at 60 losses from 1940-1946.

The team is still looking for an end to the drought in the Big West as the Mustangs fell 65-54 to UC Davis in their lowest-scoring game of the season.

The Mustangs were coming off a buzzer-beater loss to a talented UC Santa Barbara squad in front of a sold-out crowd while the Aggies lost their previous game to Long Beach State by 11 points.

“We’re really trying to be a process-driven program,” Head Coach Mike DeGeorge said after the game. “I don’t think the history of the outcomes has played a huge factor. I think more importantly is that we just need to find a way to be successful in each possession.”

The same problems the team had at the start of the season still persist.

When opponents impose themselves physically and make it hard for the Mustangs to get into their offensive flow, it leads to forced drives, stalled possessions and ultimately turnovers.

On Thursday, Cal Poly committed 20 giveaways, which led to 23 points for the Aggies. Many of the Mustangs’ issues came from simply mishandling the ball when the Aggies would deny passes and force Cal Poly players to attack individually.

“We just need to do a better job taking care of the ball, being stronger with it when we get inside the paint,” said senior guard Issac Jessup, who finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers.

Jessup had a stretch of three straight made 3-pointers early in the second half to bring the Mustangs within two possessions, but the Aggies kept up offensively and didn’t let the Mustangs take a lead.

Jessup and Mac Riniker, who scored a Cal Poly career-high 18 points, were the only two to score in double-figures.

He says that it will take time to still get used to the style DeGeorge is bringing to Cal Poly.

“I think that once we get it figured out, we’re going to be dominant,” Riniker said. “We all have complete faith in each and the coaching staff that we’re going to figure it out. We showed glimpses of it tonight.”

Glimpses is what has defined DeGeorge’s first season for Cal Poly.

From the historic win over Stanford to a close losses against UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara, the Mustangs have put together stretches of dominance but haven’t been able to sustain it for long periods of time.

It’s tough to find a game on the schedule where the team has put together a solid 40 minutes of play without having to make a large comeback.

“There are segments of the game where we do it just right, and we look really good, and there’s times where we lose it.,” DeGeorge said. “Everybody’s new to what we’re experiencing here. Some guys are playing at a different level. Some guys, it’s a new system and so there is certainly a growth process.”

DeGeorge’s belief in process bleeds over to the team’s demeanor on the court.

Instead of screaming at his team from the sideline, he and his staff will always encourage guys to move on to the next play.

Against UC Davis, who the Mustangs have not beaten in their past six match-ups, DeGeorge felt the team’s frustration carried over to their play.

“When we came out in that second half, I was concerned, because we seem like the frustration was getting the better of us.,” DeGeorge said. “Previously, we’ve always fought back from these in these games, and really had a great chance at the end, and you just had the sense that the frustration was kind of zapping our energy.”

Frustration also came out late in the second half when the Cal Poly bench was assessed a technical foul, which allowed the Aggies to extend the lead in a crucial moment.

Close losses or not, the Mustangs find themselves in a deep hole to start conference play.

It’s not over yet, as the team has 13 games left, which is two-thirds of their Big West schedule.

But the pressure is building to start winning games to have a shot at making the playoffs. Additionally, there’s the record losing streak looming over the program, even if the current regime and most of the roster weren’t apart of those teams.

Cal Poly will travel to UC Irvine on Saturday to face off against the Anteaters for the second time this season.