‘Eaters’ loss comes with a hook

SAN LUIS OBISPO — In his mind, at least, Matt Hanson needed to be anywhere but at the free-throw line with 1.4 seconds left and the game on the line Thursday night at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The Mustangs’ 6-foot-7 senior center had had his share of bad foul-line experiences, including missing his first four attempts in the Big West Conference men’s basketball clash with UC Irvine. The last of those misses was the first of two that barely banged off the front of the rim to generate a collective groan from the 1,676 at Mott Gym.

Hanson, in fact, had missed 18 of 43 attempts this season to produce an abysmal 34.9% shooting percentage, before mentally relocating to what Mustangs’ Coach Kevin Bromley called his calm, Minnesota fishing place.

Hanson, a transfer from St. Cloud State from Plymouth, Minn., said it was his ability to visualize a summer fishing spot, in his home state, that helped him find enough inner peace to sink the second free throw for the difference in a 57-56 victory.

“It’s all mental for me,” Hanson said. “I’ve got a good little spot I go back to, in Minnesota, where I’m from. It puts me at peace. Sometimes I get there, sometimes I don’t. When I don’t get there, I usually miss.”

The Anteaters (9-13, 4-5 in conference) missed a chance to stay one game out of fourth place in the Big West, while allowing Cal Poly (9-12, 4-5) to join them in a fifth-place tie.

“We just couldn’t get over the hump,” said UCI Coach Pat Douglass, who was without senior scoring leader Patrick Sanders, sidelined by a hyper-extended right knee he suffered in Saturday’s conference win at Long Beach State.

The game, in which sloppiness plagued both teams, included seven ties and five lead changes.

UCI’s last lead was 40-39 with 12 minutes left, created by senior center Darren Fells, who scored 16 second-half points to help the visitors make things more than interesting.

UCI scores forged deadlocks at 49, 52, 54 and 56, the latter on a Kevin Bland 10-foot fade-away jumper with 32 seconds left.

Mustangs sophomore guard Lorenzo Keeler missed a jumper with about seven seconds left on the ensuing possession, but the long rebound was grabbed near mid-court by Cal Poly forward Dreshawn Vance with five seconds left, despite a diving attempt to bat the ball by Fells.

Cal Poly junior point guard Trae Clark wound up with the ball and drove the lane, before dishing to Hanson on the left block. Hanson took one step and elevated for a dunk attempt, which rolled off the far edge of the rim, while UCI forward Kevin Bland was whistled for a foul, his fifth.

“I told him to just go to your fishing spot in Minnesota,” Bromley said. “Well he wasn’t there that first one, because he almost air-balled it. The second one, though, that was a big shot, I’m happy for [Hanson].”

Bromley also praised Clark’s performance on the final play.

“Trae had great poise when he penetrated to kick, instead of trying to go all the way to the rack,” Bromley said.

Fells, who made six of seven second-half field-goal tries after going just one for three to produce just two points before intermission, teamed with sophomore Chad DeCasas (a career-high 16 points) to score 25 of the first 26 second-half points for UCI.

Without Sanders, Fells’ inside game and DeCasas’ outside shooting — he was four of eight from three-point range — helped the ’Eaters stay with the Mustangs, whose starters combined for just 30 points.

Vance and freshman Shawn Lewis had 10 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench, to help the Mustangs produce 27 bench points to UCI’s five. Lewis was four of four from beyond the arc.

Senior guard Marcus McIntosh had five points, four assists and five steals to help UCI win the turnover battle, 14-11.

Big West Conference

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 57,

UC Irvine 56

UCI – DeCasas 16, Bland 5, Fells 18, Hunter 7, McIntosh 5, Lauer 3, Rembert 2.

3-pt. goals – DeCasas 4, Bland 1, Hunter 1, Lauer 1.

Fouled out – Bland.

CP – Hanson 5, Anderson 0, Shelton 6, Clark 10, Keeler 9, Lewis 12, Vance 10, Thomas 5.

3-pt. goals – Lewis 4, Clark 2, Keeler 2, Thomas 1.

Fouled out – Titus.

Halftime – CP, 26-23.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.