California State University at Northridge
8-2
Northern Arizona
4-6
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Matadors Complete Comeback with 77-71 Win at NAU
12/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
With the win, CSUN now has its best start through 10 games in its Division I history. The last Matador squad to start 8-2 was the 1988-89 team. The win was CSUN's first in Flagstaff against its former Big Sky Conference rival since the 1999-2000 season.
CSUN pulled ahead for good with a late run that saw them outscore NAU 14-3 over the last 6:35 of the game. The Lumberjacks had five turnovers in that span and just one field goal as the Matadors overcame a sluggish start.
Trailing for the majority of the contest, CSUN went ahead for good when Cinnamon Lister made a long jumper with 4:06 left in the contest. After a few empty possessions for both teams, Katelin King knocked down a huge 3-pointer with 2:16 to increase the Matadors' lead to 72-68. King finished with seven points in the contest.
CSUN closed out the contest by making five of its final six free throws.
Guay finished 7-of-7 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and knocked down all seven of her free throws. The performance helped her pass Julie Arlotto for fourth in school history with 1,371 career points. She added a team-high five assists and five steals.
"We started out slow and were not playing our game. They came out ready to play and it showed that we were not," Guay said. "However, we pulled it together. It is nice to come out of here with a win. We just need to start out our games better."
Sharpe was an aggressive force for CSUN all game. She went 6-of-10 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. She added three assists, giving her 317 for her career and passing Tonicia Tademy for the fifth-most in program history.
Lister was the third Matador in double-figures, finishing 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. She also had three rebounds and three steals.
Camille Mahlknechtovercame a tough night from the field to finish with a team-high 10 rebounds. The rebounding total gives her 702 for her career, the fifth-most in program history. She is just the fifth player in CSUN history to record over 700 career rebounds.
The Matadors started slowly after their nine-day layoff. NAU jumped out to an early 12-7 lead at the first media timeout of the contest. NAU led for a majority of the opening half, although CSUN got ahead briefly behind baskets from Caroline Gilling, Jasmine Johnson and Lister.
However, NAU kept up the pressure and took a 43-37 lead into halftime. The Lumberjacks shot 57.1 percent from the field compared to 33.3 percent for CSUN. Guay had 11 points at the break for the Matadors. NAU's 43 points were the most surrendered by the Matadors in a first half this season.
Gilling finished with six points while Johnson had three points and seven rebounds.
After being outscored in the paint 28-10 in the first half, the Matadors won the second half 18-8 in the lane. NAU won the rebounding battle 39-36 but CSUN got 14 points off 16 Lumberjack turnovers. The Matadors also got an important 16 points from its bench.
Both teams were lethal at the free throw line. CSUN went 20-of-22 (90.9 percent) while NAU finished 20-of-24 (83.3 percent). Raven Anderson led the Lumberjacks with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
"Obviously, we need to do a better job of playing 40 complete minutes. But I like how the group fought back and doing what they needed to do in the second half to take the ballgame," CSUN head coach Jason Flowers said. "Different people stepped up and made big plays when we really needed them. Katelin King was big off the bench and Jasmine Johnson also brought a lot of energy. Our three seniors did what they normally do and it was a team effort in the comeback."
The Matadors remain on the road for their next contest, a Dec. 20 game at San Diego State. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m.