California State University at Northridge
2-3
UALR
3-1
CSUN Edged By UALR in Double-Overtime Thriller 94-88
11/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
En Español
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. –
After trailing by six points with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, the CSUN Matadors (2-3) rallied to tie the game before falling in double overtime at Arkansas-Little Rock (3-1) 94-88 in the championship of the EA Sports Maui Invitational Regional Games on Sunday afternoon at Jack Stephens Center. Stephan Hicks led the Matadors with 25 points and Stephen Maxwell added 23 points and 13 rebounds for his 31st career double-double.
"I thought our guys played really well," said CSUN head coach Reggie Theus. "I think that when you look at how hard the guys played and taking UALR to double overtime with a short bench, you commend our guys for the way they played."
The UALR Trojans started off the game quickly, jumping out to a 9-0 lead just over two minutes in. The Matadors rebounded to cut the margin to a single point at 13-12, but the Trojans maintained the lead throughout the half and held a 41-36 lead at the break.
UALR's lead continued into the second half, before an old-fashioned three-point play by Landon Drew tied the game at 48-48 with 15:12 to play in regulation. A quick 3-pointer right after from Josh Hagins helped jumpstart a 12-4 run for the Trojans, who led by as many as eight points with 5:52 on the clock.
The Matadors closed the second half out on a 13-5 stretch of their own, tying the game after a the second of two layups from Tre Hale-Edmerson with 26 seconds remaining.
The two sides traded baskets throughout the first overtime period, with Hicks and Maxwell leading the way for the Matadors. Landon Drew added his stamp to the game with a step-up 3-pointer at the 2:26 mark to give CSUN a three-point lead, but the Trojans made five free throws the rest of the way to force a second overtime.
CSUN took a two-point lead at 86-84 in double overtime but UALR responded with an 8-2 run to finish off the game.
"We never gave up and had a chance to win the game a couple of times. With the effort our guys put in the last two games, you have to give them an awful lot of credit," added Theus. "I don't want to take anything away from UALR. They played well last night and today and they did what they had to do to win the basketball game. They out-toughed us around the basket."
In addition to Hicks and Maxwell, Hale-Edmerson (11 points) and Drew (14 points) joined the list of Matadors with double-figure scoring totals. Hale-Edmerson also had seven rebounds, three blocks and three assists while Drew chipped in four rebounds and three assists.
The Trojans had five players in double figures, led by James White with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
The Matadors will return home for their next game, a Wednesday night tilt against Portland State at The Blacktop @ The Matadome. The game is scheduled to begin at approximately 8 p.m. and will follow the CSUN Women's Volleyball match, which starts at 5 p.m. against Cal State Fullerton.
