Cal Poly handles ‘Eaters

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Icing the shooter is supposed to help. But when the UC Irvine men’s basketball team has hit the road this season, convention has been as fleeting as the means to victory.

So it was that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Dawin Whiten, who said he has iced his injured left ankle 20 times a day in order to get back on the court after missing Thursday’s game, caught fire from three-point distance to help the Mustangs earn an 89-80 Big West Conference triumph over the Anteaters Saturday, before 2,581 at Mott Gym.

Whiten, a junior guard who said he was at about 75-to-80% due to the injury, was almost that good from three-point range, where he drilled eight of 11 attempts (72.7%) on his way to a career-high 31 points.

Whiten, who came in shooting 33% from threedom this season, sank six of his first seven tries from beyond the arc, all before halftime.

His eight three balls tied a school single-game record he now shares with two others. His long-distance accuracy also helped the Mustangs (12-10, 4-5 in conference) sink a season-high 16 three-pointers (in 32 attempts), their best team total this season.

Cal Poly’s 16 three-pointers were the most allowed this season by a UCI team that came in leading the Big West in scoring defense (66.4 points per game) and field-goal percentage defense (40.6%). Whiten also topped the previous high UCI had allowed an individual this season.

“We definitely came to play, but [the Mustangs] were just shooting the lights out,” said UCI senior Mark Kelley, who scored a career-high 18 points off the bench on nine-of-12 shooting from the field. “In the second half, we expected their three-point shooting to slow down, but they just kept lighting it up.”

UCI (11-15, 5-7) was also effective from the perimeter, connecting on eight of 11 before halftime and finishing 12 of 25 (48%) from beyond the arc.

The Anteaters, who are now 2-11 this season on the opponents’ floor, made two three-pointers on their way to a 10-3 lead. But Cal Poly’s next seven field goals included five three-pointers, allowing it to forge a 22-17 advantage.

Whiten and three other Mustangs combined to drain 10 of 16 three-point tries in the opening 20 minutes (62.5%), to help give the hosts a 50-42 edge at the break.

A three-pointer by Adam Templeton with 9:59 left in the game drew the Anteaters to within 69-65.

But back-to-back three balls from Cal Poly’s Chaz Thomas and Derek Stockalper sparked a 13-2 run — capped by a Whiten three-pointer — that gave the Mustangs an insurmountable 82-68 bulge.

The aforementioned Whiten three, his last of the night with 3:51 remaining, typified some of the Anteaters’ frustration. Trying to generate a turnover, UCI Coach Pat Douglass ordered guards Michael Hunter and Marcus McIntosh to double-tam Cal Poly point guard Trae Clark, who had dribbled just past midcourt. Clark darted left to avoid the charging UCI defenders, then, upon finding Whiten alone on the opposite wing, jumped high to deliver a two-handed overhead pass to Whiten, who launched his record-tying three with no defender within five feet.

Whiten made just one two-point field goal and was five of seven from the line, while Stockalper, a 6-5 senior forward, added 15 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the winners.

Tyler McGinn’s 11 points included three three-pointers and Clark finished with a career-high eight assists.

Cal Poly Coach Kevin Bromley said he continues to like his team’s offensive balance, but was obviously impressed with Whiten’s performance.

“He was on crutches Friday,” Bromley said of Whiten, who limped to his postgame interviews. “He said he was ready to go today. It was still swollen, but it didn’t hurt. I thought tonight, he was absolutely terrific.”

Patrick Sanders had 16 points and a team-high six rebounds for the Anteaters, who received 12 points and five boards from Adam Templeton.

Darren Fells had nine points and five rebounds, though limited to 20 minutes due to foul trouble.

Cal Poly won the rebounding battle, 36-33, and its 13 offensive rebounds helped it post a 22-8 edge in second-chance points.

Both teams had 21 assists, while the Mustangs had just seven turnovers, five fewer than UCI.

UCI has just two regular-season conference games remaining (Wednesday at UC Riverside and March 1 at Long Beach State) as it tries to earn one of four first-round byes in the conference tournament.

“We’re going to keep battling,” Douglass said.

Big West ConferenceUC Irvine -- Sanders 16, Fells 9, Awaji 9, Campbell 6, Hunter 2, Kelley 18, Templeton 12, DeCasas 5, McIntosh 3.

Cal Poly 89, UC Irvine 80

3-pt. goals -- Templeton 4, Awaji 3, Campbell 2, DeCasas 1, McIntosh 1, Sanders 1.

Fouled out -- Templeton.

Technicals -- None.

Cal Poly -- Whiten 31, Stockalper 15, McGinn 11, Hanson 9, Clark 6, Thomas 8, Shelton 4, Henry 2, Vance 2, Manley 1.

3-pt. goals -- Whiten 8, McGinn 3, Stockalper 2, Thomas 2, Clark 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Halftime -- 50-42, Cal Poly.