Omar Samhan set a career high in scoring for the second straight game with 33 points and 12 rebounds, Wayne Hunter added 21 points and Saint Mary's used a strong second half to break open a close game in defeating Cal Poly 92-67 Monday night. Freshman Matt Dellavedova matched his career high with 19 points on five 3-pointers, Mickey McConnell set a career high with 12 assists and Ben Allen had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Gaels (3-1). All three of Saint Mary's wins have come by 22 points or more. Jordan Lewis had a career-high 14 with four rebounds while Will Taylor added 11 points for Cal Poly (0-4). Samhan, who set his previous career high of 29 in Friday's 72-70 loss to Vanderbilt, scored 20 of his points in the second half, when Saint Mary's led by as many as 31. The senior center, who also had a career-high 19 rebounds in the loss to Vandy, was 11 of 13 from the floor and went 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. With Hunter repeatedly burning Cal Poly with his speed, the inside-out combination of Samhan and Dellavedova was too much for Cal Poly, which remained winless in coach Joe Callero's first season. The Mustangs are in the midst of a season-opening five-game road trip and might have suffered from a bit of fatigue after playing the Gaels tight early. Cal Poly trailed 45-37 at halftime and was within six points early in the second half before Saint Mary's used a 17-6 run to pull away. Samhan and Hunter combined for 10 points and Dellavedova scored five straight points during the run, a trio for which the Mustangs had no answer. Bennett emptied his bench late in the second half but kept Samhan in, allowing the 6-foot-11 center to get to the 30-point mark for the first time in his career. He got it when he scored on a three-point play as part of a 10-2 run, giving Saint Mary's an 88-57 lead with 4:16 remaining. The schools were playing each other for the first time since 2006. Cal Poly holds a 7-5 edge in the series. Lewis, whose previous career best was 10 points, had 12 by halftime and was the only consistent offensive threat the Mustangs had. Dellavedova made three 3-pointers in the game's first five minutes to give the Gaels an 18-10 lead, but it was the combination of Samhan and Hunter that gave the Mustangs the biggest trouble. The duo combined for 27 points in the first half when Saint Mary's led by as many as 14 and repeatedly drew coverage away from the perimeter. Kyle Odister and Will Donahue scored 10 points apiece for Cal Poly.
