Men’s Basketball fell to Hawai’i 80-51 with their fourteenth loss in a row. The Mustangs have yet to win a conference game this season, sitting at a 0-14 conference record and 4-21 overall.
The Mustangs were without senior guard Kobe Sanders, who did not attend the game due to COVID-19. Junior center Joel Armotrading also sat out due to injury.
“We’re just trying to be a ‘fight back’ committee,” head coach John Smith said. “Even Prukop is playing with pretty much a fractured hand, we’re down to seven scholarship players, so we’re just trying to fight as much as we can.”
Freshman guard Quentin Jones led the team with his first double-double, scoring 11 and collecting a team-high ten rebounds. Despite the game being a blowout in the second half, Jones played 35 minutes and played as the primary point guard for the game.
“Anytime you’re a freshman and you’re thrust into that spot and you have to play 30 [something] minutes a game, it’s just going to benefit him in the long run,” Smith said. “He’s going to have a great career, and he’s going to look back on this year as probably the defining moment that helped him become a hell of a college player.”
Jones also added three steals on the defensive end. Without Armotrading, the graduate forward Tuukka Jaakkola played a large role as the sole big man for the group, scoring 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Mustangs’ main problem on offense proved to be the shooting. Although the Mustangs were able to get good catch-and-shoot looks, they shot 23.3% in the first half, going 7-30, and made 4-11 free throws.
The defense had a hard time keeping up with Hawaii’s ball movement in the first half, allowing the Rainbow Wahine to attempt fifteen three-pointers and make five.
The Mustangs’ struggles led to a 35-20 score at halftime.
Hawai’i also exploited the post due to Cal Poly being understaffed and undersized on the inside. The defense got worn down as the Rainbow Wahine continued to attack the post and get more open looks from their shooters.
With thirteen minutes left in the game, the deficit stretched to thirty and stayed that way the rest of the game.
Cal Poly has six games left, with only two more home games. The Mustangs’ next chance to get over the hump and get their first conference victory will be against CSU Fullerton away next Thursday, Feb. 22. Two days later, they will play against UC Riverside at home.
“Season’s not over, so we gotta keep going until that last game,” Jones said. “I think we need to focus game by game and try to get to the tournament. Making sure we knock teams off one by one until that last game just so that we know that we gave it our all.”