California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
4-13, 0-2BWC
Hawai''i
13-5, 1-1BWC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSUN | 37 | 31 | 68 |
| Hawai'i | 39 | 44 | 83 |
Turnovers Plague Matadors in 83-68 Loss at Hawai'i
1/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
En Español
HONOLULU -
Points off of turnovers and a second-half burst of scoring were the difference as the CSUN Matadors (4-13, 0-2 Big West) were defeated 83-68 by the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (13-5, 1-1 Big West) in a conference game on Saturday night at Stan Sheriff Center. The Matadors committed 28 turnovers that lead to 35 points for the 'Bows, who pulled away after being locked in a tight battle for the first 25 minutes of the night.
"Twenty-eight turnovers and 35 points [the other way], you can't overcome that. They beat up on us and our guys caved in," said CSUN head coach Reggie Theus. "Hawai'i did what they had to do and went right at our guy and he caved in."
The Matadors and 'Bows traded baskets throughout the first half and Hawai'i went into halftime ahead by just two points at 39-37. A frenetic pace resulted in steals and points in transition for the 'Bows while the Matadors were able to answer by rebounding missed shots and converting on opportunities in traffic.
CSUN held a four-point advantage for about four minutes in the first half and lead 35-31 with under three minutes to go. However, four free throws and a pair of baskets at the rim allowed Hawai'i to overcome the margin after 20 minutes of play.
After facing a four-point hole of their own just after the start of the second half, a 3-pointer by Tre Hale-Edmerson and two free throws from Stephen Maxwell helped the Matadors regain a one-point edge. Back-and-forth play gave the 'Bows a one-point lead with 15:49 to go at the first media timeout of the second half and Aaron Valdes hit back-to-back 3-pointers out of the break to push the game to seven points.
Hawai'i led the rest of the way, going up by as many as 19 points before the night was through.
Maxwell led the Matadors in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting while also grabbing six rebounds. Stephan Hicks finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and Aaron Parks had 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting off the bench.
Landon Drew set a new career high with 10 assists in the game and Hale-Edmerson narrowly missed out on a double-double after recording nine points and nine rebounds.
Valdes led the 'Bows with 34 points after going 13-for-18 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
The 28 turnovers for CSUN were their most in a game under Coach Theus. The team ended the night with 17 assists on 25 field goals and shot 46.3% from the floor.
"Our team has to have some leadership and toughness," said Theus when asked about how the Matadors must approach the rest of the season.
CSUN will continue Big West play next Thursday with another road game, this time at UC Santa Barbara on January 15th. Tipoff at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, Calif., is scheduled for 7 p.m.
