California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
7-21
Bethesda University
5-22
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bethesda University | 26 | 35 | 61 |
| CSUN | 43 | 46 | 89 |
Cid's Career Night Highlights Matadors' Win Over Bethesda
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
En Español
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -
Five CSUN players scored in double figures as the Matadors (7-21) led wire-to-wire in an 89-61 victory over the Bethesda University Flames (5-22) in a non-conference game on Tuesday night at The Matadome. Robert Cid made his first career basket and finished with five points as the Matadors cruised to a win and stopped an eight-game losing streak.
"It was a great feeling. It makes every day, working hard with the guys and all the time I've put in, worth it," said Cid. "I'd hit some free throws before this but I'd not yet made a basket. I've been waiting for that three and I finally got it. It felt real good."
CSUN jumped out to an early lead and never looked back after Taelin Webb hit a 3-pointer on the first possession of the game. The Matadors held a comfortable lead the rest of the night and built a 16-3 advantage at the first media timeout thanks to baskets and rebounds by Stephen Maxwell, Stephan Hicks and Aaron Parks.
Ajon Efferson and Tre Hale-Edmerson made 3-pointers less than a minute apart to give CSUN a 36-14 lead and a bucket in the lane by Efferson at the three-minute mark put the Matadors ahead by 25. The Flames fought back, however, and closed the half on an 11-3 run to trail 43-26 going into the locker room.
"I needed to be aggressive and get my teammates open," said Efferson, when asked about his approach to the game. "I also needed to be able to knock down my shots and create off the dribble when I got the chance."
The Matadors continued their strong all-around performance in the second half. Devonte Elliott had 13 points over the final 20 minutes and a jumper on the right side pushed the margin to 29 with just over 13 minutes to go.
Bethesda struggled throughout the night making shots and were outplayed on the boards as CSUN won the rebounding battle 56-25. The collective effort marked the first time the Matadors secured more than 50 rebounds in a game since November 12, 2012, when the team had 54 against Eastern Washington.
The final six minutes of the game turned into a memorable performance for Cid, who had played spot minutes previously over the last two seasons. Seconds after checking back into the game after logging minutes in the first frame, he drove past his defender and spun in a reverse layup for his first career basket.
Thirty seconds later, Efferson found Cid alone in the right corner for a 3-pointer that got the crowd and his teammates on their feet. Cid added a defensive rebound and skyed for one on the offensive glass as well in the game's final minutes.
Maxwell led the way for the Matadors with 20 points and 13 rebounds and also had an assist while completing his 40th career double-double. Hicks had 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the senior scored in double figures for the 99th time in his career.
Parks nearly had a double-double and finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Elliott had a strong game with 15 points and eight rebounds of his own. Efferson rounded out the list of double-digit scorers for CSUN with 11 points and also recorded two assists.
Hale-Edmerson was effective in all aspects of the game, compiling six points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and a steal.
Tuesday night marked the first time since January 30, 2014, against UC Riverside that the Matadors had five players with double-digit point totals.
"I noticed we were sharing the ball and guys were making the extra pass," said Cid. "Coming off of what we've gone through this season, I felt like this was a really good game for us to get back on the right track."
Michael Walker had 14 points on 3-of-12 shooting to lead the way for Bethesda.
The Matadors return to Big West action this weekend after having Thursday night off. The team will travel down to Orange County on Saturday, Feb. 21, to take on the UC Irvine Anteaters at the Bren Events Center at 7 p.m.
