SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Interstat) — In a game defined by grinding defense and missed opportunities, Cal Poly edged UC San Diego 67-65 in a Big West Conference men’s basketball opener on Thursday night at Robert Mott Gym.

The Mustangs, who trailed by three at halftime, overcame a sluggish offensive performance by clamping down in the second half and making just enough plays in the final minutes to snap a three-game losing streak. The Tritons, who entered as heavy favorites, saw their five-game winning streak end in a contest where neither team could find consistent scoring rhythm.

The most critical sequence unfolded in the game’s final 38 seconds with Cal Poly clinging to a 64-62 lead. UC San Diego’s Alex Chaikin missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer. Cal Poly’s Peter Bandelj secured the defensive rebound and was fouled, sinking both free throws to push the lead to 66-62 with 18 seconds remaining.

After a timeout, UC San Diego’s Leo Beath missed a jumper, and Cal Poly’s Cayden Ward grabbed the rebound and was fouled with one second left. He made the first free throw to establish a decisive two-possession lead at 67-62. He intentionally missed the second, and a desperation heave by the Tritons at the buzzer was off target.

The contest was a statistical oddity, with both teams finishing with identical field goal attempts (65 for UC San Diego, 66 for Cal Poly) and offensive rebounds (14 each). The difference came from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line. Cal Poly connected on 11 of 42 3-point attempts, while UC San Diego managed just 8 of 32. The Mustangs also went 10 for 14 from the line compared to the Tritons’ 11 for 13.

Cal Poly was led by a dominant performance from Hamad Mousa. The junior from Doha, Qatar, scored a game-high 26 points, including four 3-pointers, and added two assists and a block in 35 minutes. Peter Bandelj of Ljubljana, Slovenia, provided crucial support with 15 points.

For UC San Diego, Alex Chaikin led the way with 17 points, all in the second half, on 5-of-14 shooting. Bol Dengdit, a 6-foot-11 center from Melbourne, Australia, posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high four offensive rebounds. Hudson Mayes added 12 points.

The first half belonged to the Tritons, who used a 12-2 run midway through the period to build a lead that stretched to as many as nine points. They took a 42-39 advantage into the break largely on the strength of their interior play, outscoring Cal Poly 28-20 in the paint for the game.

The second half became a defensive struggle. UC San Diego’s offense stalled completely, shooting just 23% from the field after halftime and scoring only 23 points. Cal Poly slowly chipped away, taking its first lead since the opening minutes on a Ward 3-pointer that made it 50-48 with 12:22 to play. From there, the lead changed hands five times in a tense, back-and-forth battle until the Mustangs’ final push.

Cal Poly improved to 6-9 overall and 1-0 in the Big West. UC San Diego, which had been projected with a 90% win probability by analytics systems, fell to 11-3 and 0-1 in conference play. An announced crowd of 1,521 watched the game.

The Tritons will look to rebound at home against Hawaii on Saturday. Cal Poly travels to face Long Beach State, also on Saturday.