California State University at Northridge
13-6, 3-2
UC Irvine
3-16, 0-4
Team Stats
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
Matadors Muscle to 72-63 Victory at UC Irvine
1/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Matadors executed well offensively Thursday night in defeating the Anteaters for the second-straight time. CSUN finished at 43.1 percent (28-of-65) from the field, but just 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from 3-point range.
CSUN also held a sizeable advantage in rebounding in the victory, pulling down 56 rebounds to 35 for UC Irvine. Johnson came off the bench to pull down a game-high 15 rebounds, nearly double her previous career best of eight boards.
"My mindset was to grab every rebound and I wanted to do everything in my power to help my team win," Johnson said. "I think this win gives us confidence because our rebounding is getting more consistent."Â
Boagni also set a new career high with 10 rebounds in the contest. Camille Mahlknecht was the third CSUN player to finish in double-figures in rebounds, grabbing 10 to record her 29th career double-figure rebounding game.
All the rebounds helped CSUN finish with 24 second-chance points, its most in the category this season.
In the first half, both teams flashed efficient offenses. CSUN started the game strongly, building leads of 14-6 and 21-11 early. Cinnamon Lister hit a pair of early 3-pointers and Boagni knocked down four free throws in the first two minutes.
The Anteaters fought back and crawled back to within 23-19 with 11:53 left in the first half. Lister had a hot hand for the Matadors, scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes of action and keeping the Anteaters at bay.
The Matadors wound up leading 40-36 at halftime. Sharpe had six assists in the first half, giving her 346 for her career and second in program history. CSUN shot 42.1 percent in the first half compared to 48.3 percent for UCI. The Matadors held a 28-11 rebounding advantage in the opening 20 minutes with Jasmine Johnson pulling down a game-high eight rebounds.
In the second half, CSUN jumped out quickly behind consecutive 3-pointers from Guay and Lister. Still, the Matadors could not deliver the knockout punch and the Anteaters cut the lead down to as few as six with 2:25 to play.Â
However, the Matadors got a jumper from Lister, four free throws from Guay and a free throw from Johnson to put the game away and seal the victory.
Guay finished 8-of-13 from the field and added four rebounds and six assists. She had two steals to give her 267 for her career, the eighth-most in Big West Conference history. Guay is already the CSUN career leader in steals and assists.Â
Lister 7-of-12 from the field and knocked down three 3-pointers. She now has 130 3-pointers in 51 career games at CSUN.Â
Boagni finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds to record her first career double-double. She added a block, a steal and four free throws.
"After a few losses, there is always an incentive to want to do better for the team. I feel like I rebounded a lot better and finished up the hoop well today, but there is still room for improvement," Boagni said. "Coach has been working with me on some individual drills and that has given me more confidence."Â
Janae Sharpe led all players with seven assists. She now has 349 for her career, the second-most in CSUN history. She added two points and two rebounds in 33 minutes.Â
Mahlknecht finished with eight points and two blocks in addition to her 10 rebounds. She now has 266 career blocks and needs two more to claim fifth in Big West Conference history.Â
Turnovers were a concern for CSUN Thursday night. The Matadors committed 24 turnovers which resulted in 23 points for UC Irvine. Still the Matadors held a 34-24 advantage in points in the paint and did not trail at any point during the contest.Â
CSUN remains on the road for its next game, a meeting with Long Beach State on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tip off from the Walter Pyramid is slated for 4 p.m.Â