California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
6-14, 2-3BWC
UC Irvine
10-8, 3-1BWC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 39 | 41 | 80 |
| CSUN | 18 | 31 | 49 |
CSUN Goes Cold in Loss to UC Irvine
1/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
En Español
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -
Aaron Parks led CSUN with 18 points off the bench, but the team shot under 30 percent from the floor as the Matadors (6-14, 2-3 Big West) suffered an 80-49 defeat to the UC Irvine Anteaters (10-8, 3-1 Big West) in a Big West Conference game on Thursday night at The Matadome. Missed shots combined with second-chance points for the Anteaters allowed UCI to storm out early and lead wire-to-wire.
"It's a tough way to follow up a two-game winning streak. When you win two games you have to capitalize on that by playing harder, doing things more agressively and paying better attention," said CSUN head coach Reggie Theus. "You're not going to win many games when two of your starters go 0-for-9. It's always tough to lose, but when you play this poorly at least you know you're better than that."
The game started slowly for both teams, however, but UC Irvine was able to find its rhythm after the night was scoreless through two and a half minutes. Landon Drew made the first CSUN basket of the night with a scoop layup through traffic just under four minutes in, but a surge by the Anteaters saw the visitors ahead 16-6 at the Under-12 Media Timeout.
The Matadors were able to bring the deficit back down to six points after Stephan Hicks made a putback basket following an offensive rebound, but three-point shooting helped UC Irvine stretch its lead to 21 points, 39-18, going into the halftime break. CSUN shot just 21.4 percent (6-for-28) in the opening half while the Anteaters shot 48.4 percent (15-for-31) and went 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.
The second half was a bit kinder to the Matadors as the team made 10-of-26 from the floor for 38.5 percent. Parks scored 16 of his 18 points for CSUN in the final 20 minutes, including eight from the free-throw line.
After Tre Hale-Edmerson stole the ball and finished with a dunk the other way in the opening seconds of the half, UC Irvine responded and expanded its advantage until the final whistle. The Matadors were able to score 31 points as a team in the second half, but in the end the Anteaters cruised to a 31-point victory.
In addition to his 18 points, Parks brought down six rebounds for the second time this year and had an assist in 32 minutes off the bench. His point total was a new season high and one off his career mark, while his 10 free throws set a new career high.
Hicks finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds while Hale-Edmerson scored eight points and had six rebounds and four blocks.
"Coming off the bench allowed me to evaluate the game more," said Parks. "I tried to be aggressive and find my shots. I'd been struggling for a couple of games and tonight I was able to hit a couple of shots."
The Matadors will remain at home for their next game when they host Long Beach State on Saturday, Jan. 24. The contest will be broadcast online by ESPN3 and is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
