California State University at Northridge
2-7
Pepperdine
4-1
CSUN Handed 66-56 Loss at Pepperdine
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
En Español
MALIBU, Calif. –
A rough first-half of shooting was too much to overcome as the CSUN Matadors (2-7) were defeated 66-56 by the Pepperdine Waves (4-1) in a non-conference game on Thursday night at Firestone Fieldhouse. CSUN shot nearly 49 percent in the second half, but the Waves cashed in on six second-half 3-pointers to send the Matadors to their fifth consecutive loss.
"I thought we made about four or five defensive mistakes late in the first half that allowed them to get good shots," said CSUN head coach Reggie Theus. "We need a break in terms of being able to put together a game where we're not trailing all the time. When you're chasing the other team it's tough."
Both teams started off the game cold from the floor, each making just two of their first 10 shots. Stephan Hicks paced the Matadors and scored CSUN's first seven points of the night, but the Matadors trailed 9-7 at the media timeout with 11:55 to go in the half.
Two free throws by Hicks with five minutes remaining before halftime tied the score at 18-18, but a 13-2 run for the Waves sent the home team into the locker room with a 31-20 lead.
CSUN was unable to get closer than six points the rest of the way as Pepperdine continued to hit shots from long distance. The Waves, who came into the game shooting 26 percent from 3-point territory, cashed in on 11 of their 21 attempts (52.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
The Waves built their lead to as big as 17 points with 2:42 left on the clock before the Matadors ended the game on an 11-4 swing.
Hicks led the Matadors in scoring with 22 points and had eight rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals. Tre Hale-Edmerson added 12 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes.
Stephen Maxwell had seven points and 12 rebounds in the contest while also picking up a pair of assists. Devonte Elliott made his first start in a CSUN uniform and finished with five points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
As a team, the Matadors shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the field. CSUN tallied seven steals and four blocks in addition to 16 assists.
The Matadors will have one day to prepare for its next game, a Saturday night meeting with Vanguard University at The Matadome.
"It would be an opportunity in most cases [against Vanguard] to rest your guys," said Theus. "But for us, I think we just have to play a normal game."
The tilt with the Lions is part of a CSUN Basketball doubleheader and will follow the women's basketball game against Pepperdine, which begins at 4 p.m. Tipoff is scheduled for no sooner than 7 p.m. and separate tickets are required for both games.
