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Cal Poly wipes out early deficit, defeats Holy Names 68-47

Posted at 10:08 PM, Jan 04, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-05 01:56:24-05

Senior guards Marcellus Garrick and Donovan Fields combined for 36 points as Cal Poly overturned an early eight-point deficit and defeated Holy Names of Oakland 68-47 in a non-conference men’s basketball game Friday night inside Mott Athletics Center.

Garrick made seven of 13 floor shots, including five of 10 from long range, for 19 points, his seventh double-digit scoring game of the season, while Fields added 17 points, his ninth double-digit scoring game of the year.

Sophomore guard Mark Crowe, who leads the team with 10 double-digit scoring games, added 13 points for the Mustangs, who improved to 4-9 on the year and snapped a four-game losing streak.

Holy Names, led by Jewel Sanders with 12 points and Jacob Dean with 10, played the game as an exhibition and remains 4-9 for the season.

The Hawks sprinted to a 12-4 lead in the opening four minutes by sinking four of five three-pointers, but made just three of their remaining 16 shots from long range.

Cal Poly erased the deficit with 15 consecutive points for a 19-12 lead with 11:30 to play in the first half and capped a 21-2 run with a layup by senior forward Kuba Niziol for a 25-14 advantage with 7:31 to play prior to halftime.

The Mustangs led by as many as 14 points late in the first half and settled for a 33-21 lead at the break. Cal Poly never led by less than nine points the rest of the way, enjoying a 23-point cushion at 66-43 down the stretch on a layup by redshirt freshman guard Jared Rice with 1:33 to play.

Fields contributed six assists and Crowe had four steals as Cal Poly improved its record against non-Division I opponents to 40-1 since elevating its athletics programs to the upper division of the NCAA prior to the 1994-95 season.

Cal Poly turned the ball over a season-low six times and held Holy Names to the Mustangs’ lowest total defensively for the year.

Cal Poly compiled a 39-36 advantage on the boards, led by sophomore forward Karlos Garoza with a season-high eight rebounds.

Coach Joe Callero’s Mustangs made 44 percent of their floor shots (27 of 62) compared to just 29 percent shooting for Holy Names (15 of 52). Cal Poly was nine of 23 from three-point range while the visiting Hawks were seven of 21 from long range.

Cal Poly opens Big West Conference play next week with a pair of games, visiting UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday night and hosting CSUN on Saturday night. Both games tip off at 7 P.M.

Provided by Cal Poly