Matadors Host Vanguard in Home Opener

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Men's Basketball returns back to Southern California for its home opener against the Vanguard Lions on Wednesday night on The Blacktop @ The Matadome at 7 p.m. The Matadors' contest against the Lions will be streamed live on the CSUN Sports Network via BigWest.TV with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call. Live stats will also be available on GoMatadors.com.

The Matadors return to the friendly confines of The Matadome after a stay at Northern Illinois University last weekend. CSUN competed in a round-robin competition against host Northern Illinois, Wright State and South Dakota over a three-day span in the NIU Showcase. Against Northern Illinois, the Matadors fell 83-71 but bounced back with a comeback win against Wright State, 72-67. In the finale, the Matadors dropped a close contest to South Dakota, 76-72.

CSUN trailed by as many as 13 points to NIU in the second half but found a way to battle back and cut the deficit to one with over 8:00 to play. However, the Matadors would fall short in their comeback effort despite an 18-point performance from Tavrion Dawson in his first collegiate game.

On Saturday, the Matadors climbed out of a 13-point hole to defeat the Raiders. Led by Micheal Warren's 21 points and Dawson's 15 points, CSUN shot an even 50.0% from the floor. With 1:05 to play, Dawson hit the go-ahead jumper to give CSUN the lead. Freshman Jason Richardson chipped in with 12 points and added five steals including a key takeaway in the final minute that changed the tide of the game.

The Matadors would drop the finale of the NIU Showcase against South Dakota. In a back-and-forth contest with 14 lead changes, the Matadors led by a pair with just over 3:00 to go but a late surge from the Coyotes lifted South Dakota to the four-point win. Despite the loss, Richardson had a career-high 22 points along with seven assists while Dawson just missed out on a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Four Matadors made their debuts in a CSUN uniform over the weekend and each had strong efforts throughout the three games. Dawson scored in double-figures in each game, averaged 14.3 points per game and shot 17-for-32 from the floor (53%). Richardson tallied the most points as he scored 50 points and averaged a team-high 16.7 ppg while leading the team in assists with 19. Warren averaged 13.3 ppg and managed to get to the line 27 times in the three games while converting 21 free throws. Senior Olalekan Ajayi also made his CSUN debut and had a career-high 11 points against Wright State while grabbing 19 rebounds over the three contests.

Senior forward Tre Hale-Edmerson shot an efficient 12-for-22 from the floor (55%) in the NIU Showcase and averaged 10.3 ppg while totaling 16 rebounds.

The Matadors sets their sights on Vanguard on Wednesday and look to continue their undefeated record at home against the Lions. CSUN is 9-1 all-time against Vanguard and 8-0 at home in the series. CSUN defeated the Lions, 70-58, last season as Hale-Edmerson had a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with four blocks and three steals.

A Closer Look at Vanguard
The Lions are 4-0 on the young season after taking both of their games at the Vegas Classic over the weekend against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical of Arizona and Eastern Oregon University. The Lions are two seasons removed from winning the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I Championship in 2014. Last season, Vanguard fell in the opening round of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament.

Senior guard Jaamon Echols is leading the team in scoring as he is averaging 18.8 ppg while shooting 36% (4-11) from beyond the arc. Sophomore Malachi Hoosein has knocked down 10 of 26 of his shots from 3-point range and is averaging 12.3 ppg through four games.

Matadors Host Vanguard in Home Opener

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Players Mentioned

Olalekan Ajayi

Tavrion Dawson

Tre Hale-Edmerson

Jason Richardson

Micheal Warren