The Cal Poly-SLO Mustangs were hoping to have a shot at making it to the NCAA Tournament as they headed into Friday night's semifinal match in the 2012 Big West Tournament. The Mustangs entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed but ended up falling short of the Championship Game with a 64-52 loss to the No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.
The Mustangs took the lead early in the first half, but trailed by one point heading into halftime. The Gauchos refocused their efforts and extended the lead steadily after the break and the Mustangs were sent packing.
The Mustangs defeated their first round opponents, No. 5 seed UC Riverside Highlanders, on Thursday before getting knocked off by UCSB. The Gauchos had defeated No. 6 Pacific Tigers to get to the semis.
On the other side of the bracket, the No. 1 seed Long Beach St. 49ers beat the No. 8 UC Davis Aggies in a blowout on Thursday before dispatching the No. 3 UC Irvine Anteaters in Friday's semifinals.
The 49ers and Gauchos will meet in the Big West Championship Game for the third straight year. UCSB won in both 2010 and 2011.
The finals of the Big West tournament will take place on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
For continued updates and coverage of the 2012 Big West Tournament, stay tuned to this StoryStream.
