Matadors Record 94-75 Exhibition Win Over Cal State LA

Saturday, October 29

Northridge, CA

2:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

Cal State Los Angeles

Photo by: Paul Trafecanty

Matadors Record 94-75 Exhibition Win Over Cal State LA

10/29/2016 4:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Final Box Score

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Men's Basketball defeated Cal State LA, 94-75, in an exhibition contest on Saturday afternoon at The Matadome. Guard Kendall Smith led all scorers with 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting and he picked up three steals. Senior Aaron Parks finished with a double-double as he scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while junior center Dylan Johns nearly missed a double-double of his own with 11 points and nine boards. Also scoring in double figures, Darin Johnson had 20 points along with seven rebounds and forward Tavrion Dawson chipped in with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.

"I thought our effort was really good," said head coach Reggie Theus. "The intensity and athleticism, the ability to play multiple positions and to switch is really nice to see. If we can play that way consistently, taking it to the rim, pushing the ball and really having high energy, it will be a lot of fun to see."

In their first opportunity to play as a unit against competition, the Matadors led from start to finish on Saturday. Leading by as many as 23 points, CSUN shot 52.5 percent from the floor and held the Golden Eagles to 37.2 percent shooting. The Matadors also out-rebounded Cal State LA, 50-30, and earned 32 free throw shots compared to just two attempts for the Golden Eagles.

From the outset, the Matadors took the ball to the basket and built a comfortable lead in the early going. Smith, Parks and Dawson all earned trips to the free throw line in the opening minutes to build a 5-0 lead and Smith followed with a 3-point field goal to extend the lead to eight at the 18:17 mark of the first period. Minutes later, the Matadors extended their lead to 23-5 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Johnson.

The Golden Eagles rallied to keep the game close in the opening period, outscoring CSUN, 22-9, to trim the deficit to 32-27 before the Matadors finished with a 13-8 run of their own to lead 45-35 at the half.

Without a shot in the first half, Johns gave the Matadors low post scoring in the second period, collecting five of the team's first eight points to increase the lead to 53-40.

CSUN scored 30 of its 50 points in the paint in the second half to help build its advantage. The Matadors also held the rebound edge in the period by a 25-13 margin.

Earning several trips to the charity stripe on the night, the Matadors shot 26-for-32 at the line. Parks shot 13-for-16 from the free throw line on the afternoon and Smith was a perfect 4-for-4.

Leading 69-58, the Matadors outscored the Golden Eagles, 21-9, to extend to their biggest lead at 90-67 with 2:16 left in the game. The Matadors never led by less than 10 points in the second half and cruised to the 19-point victory over the final minutes.

Off the bench, freshman center Mahamadou Kaba-Camara scored six points in 11 minutes and sophomore guard Jason Richardson tallied three steals, three rebounds and three points.

"It's a great feeling to play in front of the fans and play in The Matadome again," said Smith. "Adding guys like Darin and Dylan who played tremendous is great. We have a lot to look forward to. We are a young and athletic team and I'm really excited about these group of guys."

CSUN now turns its attention to the regular season beginning on Friday, Nov. 11. The Matadors host Pomona-Pitzer in their season opener at 7 p.m.