Box Score SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. ? Senior Shane Edwards and sophomore Matt Mouzy scored 15 points a piece to lead the UALR men's basketball team to a 67-40 win at Cal Poly on Friday night. The Trojans (1-0) shot 53.1 percent as a team in their season opener, and held the Mustangs (0-1) to a meager .259 shooting percentage.
UALR built a 31-17 lead at the half as Cal Poly connected on just 7-of-29 attempts from the field over the first 20 minutes. Leading by 16 points in the second half, the Trojans blew the game wide open with an 11-0 run and never looked back.
“I couldn't be more proud of our guys for the way they played tonight from a togetherness standpoint. We had 12 guys who came out here and tried to be the best defensive team, and the best rebounding team we could be,” said head coach Steve Shields. “We were very unselfish tonight. We passed up a lot of good shots to get better shots and that paid off.”
Edwards and Mouzy tied for team-high honors with 15 points a piece, and went a combined 5-of-8 from three-point range. Making his first start as a Trojan, Mouzy established career highs for assists (three), steals (three) and minutes (33).
UALR enjoyed a 43-to-29 edge on the glass, outrebounding Cal Poly 23-to-12 in the second half, led by a career-high eight rebounds from senior LaMarvon Jackson. Senior Brandon Patterson added six rebounds to go along with eight points and three blocked shots.
Titus Shelton paced the Mustangs with a team-high 15 points in the losing effort off 5-of-11 shooting. Lorenzo Keeler, who scored 23 points in Cal Poly's lone exhibition game, was held scoreless over 26 minutes.
The UALR defense set the tone early on as Cal Poly went just 2-of-16 from the field to start the game to help the Trojans run out to a 15-4 lead after a three pointer by Mouzy. Things didn't get any easier for the home team, as the Mustangs shot just 24.1 percent over the first 20 minutes (7-of-29) to fall into a 31-17 hole at the half.
UALR, meanwhile, shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the first half (12-of-23), including a 3-for-5 effort from beyond the arc. The Trojans collected just five offensive rebounds in the half, but made the most of those opportunities by scoring 11 second-chance points. UALR's lead would have been even larger at the break if not for 12 first-half turnovers.
Leading 41-25 after a pair of free throws by Shelton, the Trojans ripped off an 11-0 run to build a 27-point lead, 52-25, with 11:33 remaining. UALR got four points from freshman Courtney Jackson during the run, which Mouzy capped off with a three pointer.
Nine different players scored for UALR in the win, with Courtney Jackson leading all Trojan reserves with seven points off 2-for-4 shooting. The Paris, Texas-native also came up with five rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
UALR returns to action on Sunday when it faces Pepperdine at 5 p.m. (CT) in Malibu, Calif.
