San Luis Obispo, CA- Cal Poly built a 31-point lead midway through the second half and went on to beat Saint Mary's 70-50 in a non-conference men's basketball game Saturday night in Mott Gym.

Senior forward Brandon Beeson scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half as the Mustangs (1-1) opened up a 38-18 lead at the break. Sophomore forward Varnie Dennis added 12 points for Cal Poly.

Saint Mary's (0-3), which has lost 24 straight games over the last two seasons, was led by sophomore guard Paul Marigney and junior center Ross Benson, each with 12 points.

Cal Poly opened the second half with a 22-11 run to break the game open, leading 60-29 with 10:02 remaining in the game. A jumper by James Grace III capped the Mustang run.

The Gaels closed the gap to 16 with a 17-2 run. Adam Caporn's layup cut Cal Poly's lead to 62-46 with 3:32 to play, but Saint Mary's could get no closer as the Mustangs held on to win their home opener for the seventh straight year.

Cal Poly outrebounded Saint Mary's 36-31, led by Beeson with 11. The Mustangs made 48 percent of their floor shots (26 of 54) compared to just 38 percent shooting by the Gaels (19 of 50). Saint Mary's was just 2-for-16 from three-point range.

Saint Mary's will host Sacramento State on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. in McKeon Pavilion.