NCAA Game Summary - Cal Poly vs. UC Irvine

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Eversley and Dave Nwaba each tallied 14 points as the Cal Poly Mustangs outlasted the UC Irvine Anteaters, 61-58, in a Big West Conference Tournament semifinal contest at the Honda Center.

Eversley added seven rebounds, and Nwaba shot a near-perfect 4-of-5 from the floor, adding 6-of-6 from the free-throw line for seventh-seeded Cal Poly (12-19), which will advance to the Big West championship contest to face the fifth-seeded Cal State Northridge Matadors. Brian Bennett netted 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win.

Will Davis II scored a game-high 18 points for UC Irvine (23-11), adding nine rebounds to his stat line. Alex Young chipped in 12 points, and Luke Nelson dished out a team-high five assists in the loss.

Cal Poly connected on 43.3 percent of its field goal tries in the first half, and went 3-of-9 from 3-point range to take a slim 31-29 lead at the intermission. UC Irvine shot 52.4 percent from the field in the frame, and hit 4-of-5 from 3-point range.

The Mustangs slightly improved their shooting accuracy in the second half to 47.6 percent from the floor, hitting a perfect 2-of-2 from long range and added 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. The Anteaters dropped their shooting percentage down to 42.9, and hit just 1-of-9 from 3-point distance. Cal Poly increased its lead by a single point in the period, just barely edging out UC Irvine for the win.

Cal Poly had the advantage in points off turnovers, 16-3, and in bench scoring, 18-9. UC Irvine won the battle in points in the paint, 30-18.