Cal Poly men’s basketball (13-16, 9-8 Big West) saved its season when it mattered most, rattling off four straight wins to secure a spot in the Big West Championships after entering February with postseason hopes uncertain.
The Mustangs’ 102-92 win against Long Beach (8-21, 4-13 Big West) on Thursday clinched a trip to Henderson, Nevada, where the Big West Championships will take place March 11-14.
With postseason plans still up in the air entering February, Cal Poly faced some of the conference’s toughest competition down the stretch of the regular season.
Standing in their way were three consecutive opponents ranked in the top half of the Big West standings.
The Mustangs proved they can withstand all the pressure thrown at them, and they delivered when it mattered.
Austin Goode scores over Petar Majstorovic as Cal Poly basketball beat Long Beach State 102-92 on Feb. 26, 2026, clinching a spot in the Big West Championships. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
The turnaround that ultimately secured Cal Poly’s postseason berth began two weeks ago against UC Irvine, which entered the matchup ranked second in the conference and now sits atop the standings.
Cal Poly pulled away in the final six minutes to secure the win and sparked what would become a season-defining run.
The momentum carried into the following matchups against top Big West teams, UC Santa Barbara and Hawaii. These were two teams the Mustangs had previously lost to earlier in the season, including a 40-point defeat to the Gauchos.
This time, Cal Poly came out on top in both games, completing a statement run through the conference’s upper tier.
A turning point in the Mustangs’ four-game win streak came with the group rediscovering its confidence after a difficult stretch midway through conference play.
Guzman Vasilic goes up for a shot as Cal Poly basketball beat Long Beach State 102-92 on Feb. 26, 2026, clinching a spot in the Big West Championships. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
“I was just proud of their growth,” Head Coach Mike DeGeorge said. “When we lost to Santa Barbara, we were losing confidence, and that was concerning. But this group dug in, stayed committed to our principles and battled through.”
If anyone knows how to piece together wins when the stakes are highest, it’s DeGeorge’s group.
A year ago, the Mustangs opened conference play 0-8 before a pivotal win over Long Beach State ignited a surge that carried them to the Big West tournament semifinals.
One year later, Long Beach State once again stood as the final hurdle. But this time with a postseason berth on the line.
In Thursday night’s win, three Mustangs scored in double digits: Hamad Mousa (29), Cayden Ward (28) and Jess Esso Essis (15). Cal Poly shot 46.6% from the field.
Hamad Mousa takes a shot to the basket as Cal Poly basketball beat Long Beach State 102-92 on Feb. 26, 2026, clinching a spot in the Big West Championships. He was the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 29 points. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
Mousa remains the Big West’s leading scorer at 20.5 points per game and said the recent stretch against top opponents has fueled the team’s attitude heading into March.
“Winning the last four games just gives us a lot of confidence,” Mousa said. “Hopefully, we are going to do great in the next couple of games to give us more confidence.”
Cal Poly has three conference games remaining before heading to Henderson. The last stretch begins with UC San Diego on Saturday. The Mustangs will then travel to UC Irvine before returning home for their regular-season finale at Mott Athletics Center on March 7 against Bakersfield.
“We’re gonna play the same type of game we played since Irvine,” Essis said. “We’re not going to change our philosophy. We’re just gonna stay hungry.”
Peter Bandelj runs the fast break as Cal Poly basketball beat Long Beach State 102-92 on Feb. 26, 2026, clinching a spot in the Big West Championships. David Middlecamp dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com
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