California State University at Northridge
Long Beach State
Players Mentioned
CSUN Defeats Long Beach State on Senior Day to Clinch Second Seed
3/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Matadors will play Friday, Mar. 13 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., at approximately 2:30 p.m. As the second seed in the Big West Tournament, CSUN will play the highest remaining seed after games Mar. 10 and 11 at Cal State Fullerton. The third-sixth seeds will not be determined until after Saturday's games are completed.Â
CSUN kept a comfortable lead over Long Beach State for most of the contest. The game was the final regular season home game for the Matadors' five seniors: Randi Friess, Camille Mahlknecht, Cinnamon Lister, Janae Sharpe and Guay.Â
The Matadors led 43-25 at halftime after shooting 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from the field while holding LBSU to 30 percent (9-of-30). Sharpe had nine points, six rebounds and six assists while Guay chipped in six points, seven rebounds and three assists.Â
In the second half, the lead grew to as many as 22 about three minutes into the frame. LBSU would mount several attempts to try and cut the deficit to single digits, but could not get closer than 11 with about four minutes to play.
Over the next two minutes, Friess knocked down a 3-pointer, Mahlknecht added a lay-up and Sharpe canned another trey to seal the victory.
Guay finished with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field with two 3-pointers. She added five assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action. The double-double was the fourth of her career.Â
Sharpe just missed a triple-double, posting 18 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in 29 minutes of work. Mahlknecht finished with six points and a team-high nine rebounds. She added two blocked shots to raise her career total to a school-record 278.Â
Friess recorded five points and four rebounds while Lister finished with 10 points and two 3-pointers. Lister is now tied for third in program history with 150 3-pointers in her CSUN career.Â
CSUN's bench out-scored LBSU's 18-7 for the game. Emily Cole, Caroline Gilling and Katelin King all knocked down 3-pointers off the bench for the Matadors.
CSUN shot 41.8 percent from the field (28-of-67) compared to 36.1 percent (22-of-61) for Long Beach State. The Matadors held a 50-31 advantage in rebounds and finished with 15 second-chance points.Â
The 21 wins ties the squad with the 1998-99 team for the most in the program's Division I history.Â