California State University at Northridge
2-2
Samford
1-3
Matadors Outlast Samford 79-72 in EA Sports Maui Invitational Regional
11/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -
Stephen Maxwell poured in 24 points, Stephan Hicks added 22 and the CSUN Matadors (2-2) survived a late run to earn a 79-72 victory over the Samford Bulldogs (1-3) on Saturday afternoon at Jack Stephens Center in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational Regional Games. Landon Drew scored 12 points and tallied nine assists as the Matadors shot 61.4 percent (27-for-44) from the floor.
"This game is significant for us because we had two really tough games to start the season. We played well and we played tough, but shorthanded we really had no chance to win those games," said CSUN head coach Reggie Theus. "But after that to win the next two games, that's critical because it gets us to .500. It's a significant win for us at a neutral site."
After trading the lead through the first four minutes of the game, the Bulldogs opened up their largest advantage of the game at 14-8. Three-point shooting provided much of the offense for Samford throughout the half as the team drained six shots from long distance, led by Tyler Hood with three.
The Matadors responded by running a high-tempo offense that found space in Samford's zone defense and recorded 24 points in the paint in the first half. CSUN also converted on all seven free-throw attempts to take a 37-31 lead into the halftime break.
CSUN started to break the game open early in the second half thanks to transition layups from Hicks and Maxwell and timely jumpers by Drew. Four minutes into the second half, the Matadors held a 12-point lead at 48-36.
The Matadors led by more than 10 points until just over five minutes remained in the game when a quick layup from Samford's Brandon Roberts and a 3-pointer by Hood shrunk the margin to five at 60-55. With 1:22 to play, Hicks lobbed an inbound pass to Maxwell for an easy dunk that gave CSUN a 10-point cushion down the stretch that held up under late pressure.
Samford converted on a three-point play and also added three free-throws after a CSUN shooting foul, but five free throws in the final 30 seconds sealed the win for the Matadors.
Aaron Parks scored nine points and had four assists for the Matadors while Devonte Elliott chipped in six points and four rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench. Hood finished with 19 points to lead Samford.
"I thought that Hood shot the ball well. He went 5-for-7 from three-point land, and that's the area that concerns me," added Theus. "It's closeouts, it's rotations, it's energy. Sometimes guys are tired. As a coach I have to accept that we have guys out there that are playing tired.
"Just being prepared, I thought that we had scout and a good plan for Samford. Our guys executed the game plan very well."
Theus is now 5-1 in neutral-site games with the Matadors, who advance to the championship of the EA Sports Maui Invitational Regional Games. CSUN will face the winner of UMKC/UALR at 1 p.m. CST (11 a.m. PST) on Sunday, Nov. 23, at Jack Stephens Center.
