January 26, 2015

Monday, Januar y 26, 20 15

E s t abl ished 19 16

w w w.mus t angne w s .net

Back on Track: Men’s basketball sweeps weekend, evens up Big West record

Erik Chu @chu_erik

Behind a career night from junior forward Joel Awich, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team (10-8, 3-3 Big West Conference) was able to win a key conference matchup with a 68-49 victory over UC Riverside (9-11, 2-4) Saturday night. Awich finished the game with his first career double-double, 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting and a career-high 11 rebounds. Awich has been on a scoring tear lately — his 11 points Saturday night mark his fifth straight game scoring in double figures. “I feel good,” Awich said. “Every time I get the ball, I look to be aggressive, and even if

I don’t shoot the ball, I’m looking to pass to someone who is open.” However, the Mustangs started the game off with a scare. In Cal Poly’s second offensive possession, junior guard David Nwaba and senior guard Malik Love collided with each other while attempting a dribble handoff, resulting in a big collision. Nwaba took the worst of the collision and seemed to injure his left shoulder or wrist. Nwaba would quickly shake off the discomfort and shortly after slammed home a beautiful lob thrown by junior forward Brian Bennett.

see BASKETBALL, pg 9.

CHRISTA LAM | MUSTANG NE WS 0 TO 500

| Junior guard David Nwaba is averaging team-highs with 13.5 points per game and 24 steals on the season. His high-flying dunks have often been a spark of for the Cal Poly offense throughout the seaosn.

Trombone Shorty fills tall order

Brenna Swanston @brenna_swanston

Trombone Shorty in a nutshell: some of the best live music I’ve heard and most awkward oldwhite-people dancing I’ve ever seen, all under the same roof. It was the type of show that made me wish I’d been born cooler and took saxophone lessons as a rugrat so I might have had a shot at growing up to play in Trombone Shorty’s band, which looked like the most fun any human could ever have. Those guys danced and laughed and pulled off the fedora-and-sunglasses-inside look like there was no tomorrow — and on top of all that, they sounded phenomenal. But first, let’s back up: The Record Company — a Los Angeles-based, blues-rock three-piece — opened up Shorty’s Friday night show at the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center. They churned out a half-hour’s worth of Muddy Waters-inspired tunes — great for a road trip, but not so much for pumping up an auditorium full of people waiting for Trombone Shorty’s funky New Orleans jazz.

see SHORTY, pg 4.

PHOTO ILLUSTR ATION BY JOSEPH PACK | MUSTANG NE WS RE AD BET WEEN THE LINES

| Facial symmetry contributes to perceptions of attraction, as does smell, which comes from the immune system.

The science of attraction: How your body odor can get you more than a hug Savannah Sperry @SavannahJSperry

For human beings, there are few things more compelling than physical attraction. Cal Poly is regularly deemed an attractive campus, which creates a unique set of pressures on its student population. “Cal Poly has had that reputation for decades,” psychology professor Laura Freberg said. “Even in the ‘80s, when I started working here, there were ‘Poly Dollys.’ That reputation has built upon itself.”

What ultimately makes Cal Poly an attractive, and therefore socially competitive, campus is the student body being young, ethnically homogenous and increasingly affluent, Freberg said. “It’s much more affluent than it used to be, which is probably a result of the recession — a lot more wealthy families are choosing to send their kids to less expensive universities like Cal Poly,” she said.

see ATTRACTION, pg 2.

News... 1-3 | Arts... 4-6 | Opinion... 7 | Classifieds... 8 | Sports... 9-10

Monday, January 26, 2015

NEWS | 2

University responds to letter to the editor Shelley Westerson @shelley_westers Could punishments to greek life deter people from reporting sexual assault? That was a question raised by a Letter to the Editor published

ATTRACTION continued from pg 1. For both men and women, one of the main factors in choosing a partner is physical attractiveness. Though this isn’t necessarily defined the same way among all people, there are certain consistencies and a general set of biological rules that determine what we find to be physically attractive. The first rule is facial symmetry. “Symmetry is a reflection of genetic health; you can almost anticipate somebody’s genetic health based on their objective symmetry,” Freberg said. “We’re not alone as a species. When you look at attractiveness to animals, they’re also tuned in on that symmetry. It’s just something we like to look at.” Also pivotal in the science behind physical attraction is smell, which comes from the immune system. “People find body odors similar to their own repulsive and body odors that are distinct from their own, attractive,” Freberg said. This likely discouraged inbreeding throughout human evolution, Freberg said, as odor could prevent you from partnering with someone too genetically similar. Attraction is not all biological — some of it is cognitive. “Usually what offsets physical attractiveness is economic stability, and that’s cross-cultural,”

by Mustang News on Jan. 14. In response to the letter, university administration provided this response to Mustang News via email: “It would be a disservice for anyone to blame a student who was brave enough to come forward with Freberg said. Globally, females tend to be more attentive to their partners’ economic stability. Intellect and humor are also cognitive driving forces of attraction. “There has always been a differential gender issue of intellect,” Freberg said. “Anything men can do to make themselves look more intelligent is a big plus. One of the types of behavior that falls into that is the use of humor. Humor is something that males specifically do when they’re trying to impress females.” Men typically make use of more elaborate vocabulary when trying to impress women through conversational humor. How we rank our own physical attractiveness also helps determine who we pair with. “In our heads, we have a sense that we can put ourselves somewhere on a scale of one to 10, and people seem to know that they match up with others accordingly to that scale,” Freberg said. Physical attraction aside, the binding element in partner bonding lies in what we know as chemistry, which is immediately noticed, though difficult to define and understand. “One of the lessons I wish people all knew is that you can’t make somebody like you,” Freeberg said. “If you don’t have that immediate chemistry, it’s kind of a deal-breaker.”

an incident of sexual assault,” Vice President for Student Affairs Keith Humphrey said at the end of the email. “Coming forward to voice an incident of violence is courageous and can assist our university in eliminating sexual assault. The

responsibility for such an assault should be placed on the perpetrator and the environment that helped facilitate that assault — and never on the survivor.” Safer coordinator Christina Kaviani was also quoted in the email:

“Safer’s position is that the university wants to create an environment that is free from sexual violence,” Kaviani said. “When a sexual assault does occur, we want survivors to feel supported and empowered. Safer is here to provide the ongoing

support that is needed as the university takes steps to end sexual violence on our campus. In addition, any survivor who reports to the university would receive support from the many resources in our community, on and off campus.”

Monday, January 26, 2015

NEWS | 3

K YLE MCCART Y | MUSTANG NE WS LEAK

| Recent rain caused a water leakage on the second floor of the building, and all damaged classrooms were closed for repairs. Construction is expected to be completed around the end of the month.

Erhart Agriculture gets a new roof Rosie Guzman Special to Mustang News

Starting at 5 a.m., students, faculty and staff at Cal Poly were able to hear drilling, hammering and nailing coming from building 10, Erhart Agriculture — construction began this week on the rooftop. The construction is estimated to be completed at the end of the month. Due to the rain a couple of months ago, there was a water

leakage on the second floor of building 10, which caused the agriculture department to remove its equipment from some of the classrooms. Agribusiness professor Sean Hurley said the leakage primarily affected two labs, an advising center and two other standard classrooms. “Everything was saved but a printer,” Hurley said. “All the computers that had water on them made it through.” All the classrooms that were

damaged by the water were closed for repairs and all offices were moved to another location. Joel Neel, the director of facilities planning and capital projects, called the new roof a “cool roof,” which is more energy-efficient and will do a better job at preventing water damage to the building and equipment. Local outside contractors were hired to work on the new roof since it is specialized work and because it is such an inten-

sive project. The construction begins early in the morning and goes late into the evening. Neel understands that it is not the best time for construction, but campus facilities has sent out a message to the faculty and staff in the agriculture building to inform them about the repairs and a timeline for them to know where and when the construc-

tion will be happening. “It would definitely be our preference to not be doing this during the day, but we felt it was necessary to minimize any potential damage,” he said. Nutrition senior Erika Hashimoto has noticed the drilling and admits that once the noise starts, it is hard to focus in the classroom.

The noise is a problem to many professors, and in Erika’s case, her professor cut class early one day because the construction sounds became too loud. “I think they can find a better time to do it, like maybe later in the day,” Hashimoto said. “But if it’s going to save money in the future, then I think it should be done.”

Monday, January 26, 2015

ARTS | 4

BRENNA SWANSTON | MUSTANG NEWS

SHAWTAY | Shorty packed the house with an audience spanning all ages. Some sat quietly wearing earplugs, others danced wildly in the aisles, but all seemed blown away by the show. SHORTY continued from pg 1. The band included a bassist, drummer and guitarist, who also picked up the occasional slide or harmonica to spice things up. The Record Company was tight but seemed to cheat its audience out of the keys and horns its genre so

desperately called for. Nonetheless, the crowd loved them, dancing through all their songs and whistling energetically between them. Their excited anticipation was palpable. The opening set ended and the house lights came up, revealing Shorty’s audience. Cal Poly Arts director Steve Lerian had told me prior to the concert

that Trombone Shorty attracted fans from all demographics, and looking around, it was evident he was right. There were kids, college students, elderly folks, women dressed up in heels and guys sporting messy hair and old jeans, and they were all equally stoked. As intermission ended and the lights dimmed, the older

woman sitting to my left asked me if I wanted any earplugs, proceeding thereafter to ignore my polite decline. “Trombone Shorty can get a little loud,” she said, handing me her extra pair. I shoved the earplugs in my pocket as the band entered the stage to a roar of applause. An alto saxophone, tenor sax, bass, drums and guitar filed onstage and vamped in preparation for Trombone Shorty’s entrance. He arrived, trombone in one hand and trumpet in the other, meeting a new wave of screams from his audience with a beaming smile. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue then launched into an hour-long set of loud, funky and jazzy New Orleans music. He rotated through his talents, sometimes taking up the trombone, trumpet and microphone in the course of only one song, busting out the occasional moonwalk to boot. Shorty certainly had his fair share of center stage, but he made sure each band member had a chance in the spotlight as well. Every person on stage contributed some improvisation to the mix, each showing off their

unique take on New Orleans jazz. But the most unforgettable solo had only one note. Shorty picked up his trumpet and showed off his circular breathing skills, holding the same note for so long I lost count of how many choruses the band vamped through. Graphic communication seniors Korinn Kunert and Mikkel Sandberg estimated the note lasted for five minutes and said it was the show’s coolest moment. Sandberg, a trombone player himself, called it the “stupid-long” note. “I’d only heard of this concept of circular breathing,” he said, “but had never seen it before. It was truly impressive. Overall, I give Trombone Shorty an 11 out of 10.” Neither he nor Kunert had seen Shorty before. “I was along for the ride,” Kunert said. “Had never really listened to them. I enjoyed the show. They were great musicians and looked like they were having a blast.” And they weren’t the only ones. As the show progressed, audience members rose from their seats, many lining the aisles to dance. I joined them, in part because I thought I could get bet-

ter photos from that angle but also because I didn’t have room in my assigned seat to boogie down properly. I found myself ducking under wild dancers’ elbows, some thrown from where an old couple attempted some awkward variation of a swing dance, others from a line of college-aged kids grinding. But Shorty didn’t leave out his seated audience, repeatedly asking them to dance and engage in call-and-response riffs. When the band ended its official set and left the stage, the audience simply wouldn’t have it. They cheered for an encore for several minutes and eventually got their way. Trombone Shorty and New Orleans Avenue re-emerged for one more tune in which each band member took his last solo. In the end, they left their microphones behind and lined up shoulder-to-shoulder at the front of the stage, dancing to an unplugged but undeniably funky rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” It was unique, personal and packed with talent. Afterward, they took their final bow and left the audience cheering itself hoarse. Trombone Shorty was a success.

Monday, January 26, 2015

ARTS | 5

RICHARD LOUGHMAN | COURTESY PHOTO

RICHARD LOUGHMAN | COURTESY PHOTO

SAUCY | Wordsauce brings together many local musicians from all types of musical backgrounds to create a unique sound they describe as “cross-contaminated” by different genres.

Wordsauce: Stirring up genres since 2009 Kelly Trom @kttrom

Live hip-hop funk. Booty-shaking. Jam Band. Dance music. When asked to describe the musical genre of the band, Wordsauce members rambled off these words, all disagreeing with each other on what the perfect explanation would be. Wordsauce’s music is certainly difficult to define, as the band has seven positions ranging from DJ to saxophone player. One of the only things they all have in common is their love of music and living in San Luis Obispo. But when it comes to their backgrounds and what they love about musicianship, their answers are all a little different, bassist Wesley Price explains. “Kevin is a metal head. Rick and Eric are super into hip-hop. Bill is into everything. Sam is jazz as can be. I like punk,” Price said. “The coolest thing about this is the amount of people in the band. We always make space for everyone. There is so much going on all the time because there are a bunch of layers of music.” Their band name invokes the image of food simmering in a pot, and that’s how they make their music. They throw in bits of musical flavor until there is a full “meal” or song. Instead of following a specific “recipe” of how things have been done in the past, Wordsauce is all about collaboration and improvisation until the members create a sound they all like. Many times, someone will bring a riff or beat into band

practice and they will all mess around with it until they figure out their own specific parts, guitarist Kevin Strong said. “We don’t do a lot of writing down the structure, usually that comes after,” Strong said. “How long should this part be and how long should this verse be comes at the end of a jam session. By the time everyone knows what they want to do, we have pretty much a full song.” Not only have the band members’ styles influenced the overall feel of the music they produce, but individual musician styles have changed as well. Strong used to be in a metal band, and it was difficult for him to play more simple guitar parts to make room for other musicians. “It was the polar opposite of how I used to play, where everything I would do had to be as loud and fast and as much stuff packed into as little time as possible,” Strong said. “I still like that kind of stuff, too. I can do simple and feel like I don’t need to be showing off the whole time.” Vocalist Rick Loughman had to get more comfortable with singing because he started off his musical career rapping. “After playing with the guys for a year or two, I personally became not so confined in my song writing and when I was doing vocals,” Loughman said. “I have gotten more comfortable singing over the years and have become a little more dynamic.” With many styles to draw from, Wordsauce has struggled with cohesion but has made progress. The band made it a

goal to become more structured but retain its original sound. Improvising gave them all an energy that worked on stage but could also be risky if the sounds came together sloppily. However, Wordsauce’s many different styles and genres come in handy when putting together a setlist. “As far as what we play at certain shows, it just depends on the atmosphere,” Loughman said. “So if we start playing at the dinner hour, we probably won’t play our heaviest songs. That’s the nice thing about having a lot of different sounds is that we can pick and choose what we think would be best for the crowd.” The band’s versatility makes it a favorite with most crowds. On its summer 2014 California and Oregon tour, Wordsauce was able to win over even middle-aged audiences who were initially skeptical of the band. Playing songs from its EP “The Leak,” the band was able to find something in its repertoire that could engage any audience and get them up and dancing. This was a first for Loughman, who previously didn’t even want to perform for his family because of their prejudice against hip-hop. “When I first started rapping and making beats, I almost just didn’t show my music to family because I knew their sentiment towards that genre of music already,” Loughman said. “On tour, we got to show our music to people that maybe didn’t think that they liked that certain genre but then realized that there was something about it that they could enjoy.”

For the monthlong tour’s duration, the band members packed into their Wordsauce “funk academy bus” for traveling purposes. The band got closer, literally sleeping in the bus many nights while on the road. They were able to share their music with others and even used their downtime to write new music for their upcoming album, which will be their first fulllength album. “To have everyone show the level of commitment that it takes to drop everything for a

month and just go on the road for 30 days was awesome,” Loughman said. “We had known we had wanted to do it for a while, but the actual booking process for venues takes a long time. Wess really brought it together.” The new music will be fresh and recorded differently from Wordsauce’s previous two EPs. Due to space and time constraints, the old EPs were recorded one instrument at a time, playing over tracks from the other musicians. Drummer Billy Gerhardt said

their old way of recording wasn’t ideal for Wordsauce’s casual-jam style. “The best way that Wordsauce records as a group is live and together because we all feed off of each other’s energy,” Gerhardt said. “We are happy with the EP, but recording the new album live is really going to take it to the next level.” Wordsauce is hoping to release its finished new album by the end of 2015 but will be dropping the new tracks on its website as they are finished.

Monday, January 26, 2015

ARTS | 6

KIEL CARREAU | COURTESY PHOTO

KIEL CARREAU | COURTESY PHOTO

EN POINTE | Despite some technical mishaps and awkward dance formation, Orchesis pulled off overall impressive choreography and storytelling in their Friday performance of “Release.”

Orchesis ‘Releases’ a pleasant surprise Jen Silva @jesilva345

Orchesis’ Winter 2015 modern dance performance “Release” started off with a bang. As the dim red lights came on and the audience simmered down, the first note of the well-known “James Bond” theme song struck the stage. The opening dance incorporated a jazzy modern feel with some Bob Fosse choreography sprinkled in. Having danced for practically my whole life, I thought bringing Fosse into a modern performance was quite impressive. As for technique, however, the dance came up short. The dancers’ legs varied between bent and straight, making it hard to know how they were supposed to look. The choreography itself was dy-

namic and interesting: The formations changed constantly; there were multiple styles of dance involved; and coupled with a “James Bond” theme, you could never go wrong. The next couple of dances made good use of props. In one, entitled “Tide,” dancers strapped carabiners to each other’s waists and used them to show they were swaying back and forth together as a wave or being pushed down like an anchor on a boat. In the next dance, “After the Bombs Have Stopped,” the stage was set with an array of stacked chairs and tables, implying something chaotic had just occurred. This dance was the first ballet of the night and one of my personal favorites. It took place half en pointe, half on ballet flats. Cal Poly alumnus Julia Core

agreed this was her favorite dance. “There was a lot of emotion,” she said. “I loved the pointe shoes. I’ve never seen that in Orchesis before.” The costumes were simple, but each worked well with the different themes and pieces. It was refreshing to see costumes that didn’t need to be uniform and yet complemented each dance nicely. “Holding To” employed greenblue costumes and blue lighting, which worked well together. It used a Hawaiian song, giving the piece a twist that people don’t see in dance performances. “Holding To” had a great balance of sharp, quick movements and slow, flowing segments. However, I did notice the dancers’ arms were pinned to their sides most of the time. I couldn’t help but wonder, if this is modern dance to a Hawaiian song,

why make the arms look like an Irish dance? Before the curtains closed for intermission, the dancers came out on stage with fiery red dresses, bringing the whole room to life with their stage presence. “Last call” was a comedic piece about drunk people at a bar. The dancers pulled on their game faces for this one and became much more theatrical. At times, the whole audience roared with laughter. Recreation parks and administration senior and Orchesis intern Taylor Santero said comedy was the point of the piece. “People can laugh at art, not just sit there and take it in,” Santero said. “There’s different ways to observe.” And that dance made its humorous point clear as Santero started

humping the air mid-dance. The second half was a mix between modern, contemporary and ballet. While modern is a style of dance people do not necessarily need to understand, observers should also not sit back and think, “What the hell are they are doing?” “Rye” was the only dance in “Release” to cross that line. In “Rye,” it was hard to tell whether the dancers were monsters or just shaking their bodies uncontrollably. Though they performed well, the choreography was too much for my liking. However, the end of the performance brought tears to my eyes. The dance “As It Was Made To Be” was to three different Mumford and Sons songs. These songs brought in a great pop-culture bond with the audience and made

you want to jump up and dance onstage with the rest of them. The dancers had incredible energy and radiated love and unity. The style was more of a contemporary-modern dance where they pulled off technically hard moves while still letting loose and jumping around. The second, slower song used props nicely, with crouching dancers slowly carrying candles across the stage under dim lighting. Overall, “Release” was the best Orchesis performance I’ve seen. The dancers were fabulous and the energy was wonderful. The more contemporary feel with story-based backgrounds brought a new feel to Orchesis. I would recommend this performance to anybody who likes dance, creativity or a little pop culture.

Monday, January 26, 2015

OPINION | 7

MUSTANG NEWS

City Council: Your Not-so-Friendly Neighbors

Graphic Arts Building Building 26, Suite 226 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93410

Eric Stubben

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@EricStubben Eric Stubben is a mechanical engineering junior and Mustang News conservative columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.

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“Did you hear about the new ordinance that City Council passed over break?” my rental home’s gardener asked as I slowly cracked open my front door one sunny afternoon early last week. “No. Why? What happened?” I responded. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t exactly keep on top of my San Luis Obispo news over break. In her usual blunt and honest fashion, the gardener proceeded to tell me about a new rental home inspection ordinance passed by San Luis Obispo City Council last month. We discussed the ordinance and its logistics for a while before parting ways. I remember thinking to myself as I shut the door: “If everything she’s saying is accurate, this ordinance is bad news.” Within a few minutes, I had a couple local news articles pulled up on my computer while digging around the city website. During its meeting on Dec. 16, City Council voted 3-2 “to support a Rental Housing Inspection Program.” At first glance of the ordinance’s title, it’s not all that intimidating. In reality, it’s the details that are scary. The program looks to implement exterior and interior inspections of every rental home in San Luis Obispo controlled by the Community Development Department. Each rental must pass inspection once every three years or its tenants may be subjected to heavy fines or even reinspection fees. Of course, this program doesn’t come without a cost.

While they’re still figuring out kinks in the details, City Council is proposing a $98 fee per rental home per year to fund the inspection program. Essentially, the city wants renters to pay an annual fee to allow a government agency representative to enter the renter’s home to find reasons to fine them. Whether one agrees that this is a poor ordinance or a muchneeded one, the ordinance’s legality sits in the gray area. According to news reports on the issue, many people argue that this ordinance clearly crosses the boundaries of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx told The San Luis Obispo Tribune that she’s “not worried about the theoretical unconstitutionality of (the ordinance),” noting that there are other areas in the state with similar laws. While it is possible for the city to argue, perhaps correctly, that passing this ordinance gives them a right to search our houses, their ethics must be questioned. Is searching the interior of people’s homes to assess knickknack fees really what’s best for the community? At what point does enforcing rental code via interior inspections overstep a renter’s privacy? Is it that big of a deal that a rental house may possibly have people living in a garage that was converted into a bedroom decades ago? Apparently the City Council thinks so. It’s also fair to ask about what will happen if a rental does not adhere to the city’s rental code. Will the renters be forced

the right angle to make quick changes? Most rental contracts don’t allow renters to make significant house modifications without the landlord’s consent. What if a house is found to have more than five people living in it? Will the extra renter be forced to move out immediately? Too many possibilities lie on the table with too many questions left unanswered. While the city is describing the ordinance as a proactive measure to stop rental offenses before they get too severe, the intent is obvious: The city wants to curb the amount of rental properties within city limits. As of 2010, 62 percent of homes available in San Luis Obispo were listed as rental homes, compared to 43 percent statewide. Being proactive does not include

punishing renters and discouraging prospective citizens from renting within city limits. Being proactive includes clearly presenting rental codes and definitions to every renter at the time they sign their rental contract to prevent further issues. The most disturbing part of this ordinance, however, is that it blatantly targets college students. Cracking down on the number of people living in each house and increasing the rate of rental fines via interior inspections is not conducive to San Luis Obispo’s student community and will raise rental rates. While students are already drowning in loans to pay tuition and fees, raising rental prices only helps to further bury

students in their own debt. As we’ve witnessed multiple times this school year, San Luis Obispo’s city government does not support the living situation of college students. As displayed by their efforts to curb the “Isla Vista phenomenon,” they don’t want us to live in rentals off campus. Yet, they claim the proposed new residence hall is too close to residential neighborhoods. Building code prevents Cal Poly from building taller residence halls, and there’s little land left to build living spaces within a reasonable proximity to the center of campus. If we build up, we can’t build out, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to move off campus, where does the city want students to go? Away?

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Monday, January 26, 2015

SPORTS | 9

CHRISTA L AM | MUSTANG NE WS

CHRISTA L AM | MUSTANG NE WS

SLAMMED | (Left) Junior guard Reese Morgan contributed 14 big points off the bench Saturday in the Mustangs’ win over UC Riverside. (Right) Junior forward Joel Awich notched his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

BASKETBALL continued from pg 1. Other than Nwaba’s jam, the start of the game was a defensive battle. The Mustangs held a slim 9-7 advantage early, shooting 33 percent from the field midway through the first half. Similarly, the Highlanders shot 3 for 10 from the field. UC Riverside would eventually get into an offensive rhythm and go on a 12-5 run to take a 19-14 lead with 7:04 remaining in the first half.

The Mustangs had difficulty defending the Highlanders’ spread offense, which featured a series of down-screens that freed up their sharpshooting guard Jaylen Bland, who finished the game with 11 points on 3 for 8 shooting from downtown. Cal Poly would battle back with a 10-5 run of its own behind the energized play of Awich. A tip-in following a missed transition layup and then a face-up jumper at the top of the key by Awich would tie the game at 24 going into halftime.

The Mustangs were scorching hot coming out of the half. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Awich and senior guard Michael Bolden gave the Mustangs an early 30-26 second-half advantage. As the second half progressed, the Mustangs continued to outplay the Highlanders. Cal Poly created better shots, out-rebounded the Highlanders and committed just seven turnovers. With the game tied at 37, the Mustangs turned to their explosive backcourt duo — sophomore guard Ridge Shipley and

junior guard Reese Morgan. Both players have provided huge sparks off the bench this season. Morgan dropped in five straight points to break the tie — a three from the wing off of an assist from Shipley and a breakaway transition layup — shifting the momentum in the Mustangs’ favor. Morgan finished the game with 14 points and four rebounds, hitting 9 for 10 from the free throw line. Shipley would add another three to extend the lead to 4537 with 6:37 remaining in the game. He finished the game

with 12 points and three assists. “Ridge is a really good point guard,” Morgan said. “His quickness is huge for us. He’s aggressive to the basket and makes smart plays. That makes us a really good team.” The Mustangs would ultimately string together 11 unanswered p oints over three minutes for a 4837 advantage with 5:25 to play. UC Riverside struggled to mount any threatening comeback, and Awich shut the door on any hopes for the Highlanders with an emphatic

two-handed slam. The Mustangs would cruise to a comfortable 68-49 victory, finishing the game shooting 42 percent from the field, including 6 for 18 from 3-point range. Cal Poly will be on the road next week for Big West games at UC Irvine on Jan. 29 and UC Davis on Jan. 31. The key to the upcoming road trip will be the health of the players. “Getting our bodies right will help us mentally,” head coach Joe Callero said. “If our bodies are fresh, we’ll be more focused mentally as well.”

Monday, January 26, 2015

SPORTS | 10

Women’s basketball’s rally falls short at UC Riverside Mustang News Staff Report @CPMustangSports

Senior guard Ariana Elegado scored 23 points and senior forward Taryn Garza hauled in 12 rebounds, but the Cal Poly women’s basketball team (9-9, 4-2 Big West Conference) could not finish off a furious second-half rally Saturday night, falling 82-78 in a shootout against UC Riverside (12-8, 3-3) in SRC Arena. A hot-shooting first sequence saw the Mustangs go up 7-0 to begin the game. The Highlanders, who answered back with an 18-4 run of their own and ended up going 17 for 34 overall and 6 for 11 from 3-point range in the half, finished shooting 43.5 percent on the night. Cal Poly would finish an even 40 percent on 28-for-70 shooting. The Mustangs were not to be demoralized following one of the highest-percentage performances they’ve given up in a half this season. Though the Highlanders came out of halftime still with the hot hand — extending their lead to 20 points just four minutes in — a 3-pointer from junior guard Lisa Marie Sanchez followed back-to-back pairs of free throws from junior and senior guards Beth Balbierz and Kristen Ale began a second-half rally. Elegado helped the cause, scoring five straight points of her own before freshman guard Dynn Leaupepe and sophomore forward Rachel Koehler made it 58-52. The 16-2 run gave life to the Mustangs with nine minutes remaining in the game. The game came down to the final minutes, with a Balbierz 3-pointer with just over a minute left cutting the Highlanders’ lead down to 74-70. A minute later, the Mustangs were within three after another clutch Balbierz 3-ball put the Highlanders and Brittany Crain, the nation’s fifth-leading scorer, at risk of giving up their commanding 20-point lead. Crain, however, sank a free throw in the final seconds to give the Highlanders a close Big West victory. Ale finished with 13 points to follow up her season-high 20 on Thursday at Cal State Fullerton. Balbierz, who came off the bench Saturday, finished with 12. The Mustangs bench outscored the Highlanders’ 31-17. Individually, the offensive-minded night brought two Mustangs up to historic levels. Elegado’s eight assists — all of which came in the first half — eclipsed the 400 mark for her career. The 5-foot-6 guard from San Diego also moved

AMANDA SHARP | DAILY TITAN SUNK

| The Cal Poly women’s basketball team nearly capped off a comeback against Cal State Fullerton Saturday night, but came up just four points short.

past Christine Rodness with her 1,338th point, good for No. 4 on Cal Poly’s all-time scoring list. Garza’s 12 rebounds were one off her career high and moved her beyond the 350 mark on

her career. The Mustangs will hope to build off of Saturday night’s many bright spots when they return home to face UC Davis on Jan .29 at 7 p.m. and

UC Irvine on Jan. 31 at 4 p.m. in Mott Athletics Center. Harry Chang contributed to this report.