Matadors Take on Boise State for the First Time Since 2011

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Men's Basketball (3-8) returns to the road to square off with Boise State on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. (PT) inside Taco Bell Arena. The Mountain West Network will provide a video stream for the contest. An audio only broadcast will also be available on the CSUN Sports Network with Alan Zinsmeister on the call.

The Matadors look to get back on the winning track after a frustrating loss to Bethesda last Friday. CSUN struggled to contain the Flames' hot-shooting as Bethesda finished with 13 pointers along with 51.4 percent shooting from the field. Trailing at the break, the Matadors pulled to within two points on several occasions but they were unable to take lead down the stretch. Despite a 3-pointer from Kendall Smith with three seconds left that cut the deficit to three, Bethesda held on for the 100-95 win.

In defeat, five Matadors scored in double figures including Tavrion Dawson who posted a double-double of 22 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Smith and Darin Johnson each scored 20 points while Rakim Lubin had 12 and Micheal Warren registered 11.

Despite a three-game skid, CSUN continues to possess one of the top offensive lineups in the Big West Conference. The team is first in the conference in points per game (80.7) and field goal percentage (47.5), and second in 3-point percentage (38.1), free throw percentage (71.8) and assists per game (15.1).

Tied for third in the Big West, the tandem of Dawson and Smith lead the Matadors with 15.1 points per game. Dawson has been efficient from the floor throughout the season, shooting 58.2 percent including 83.3 percent from the free throw line. The team's top distributor, Smith has dished out 5.1 assists to go along with 4.1 rebounds on the season. Averaging 12.8 points per game, Johnson has shot a Big West Conference best 56.4 percent from 3-point range this season.

Making his move up the all-time CSUN career ranks, senior guard Aaron Parks is four points away from hitting 900 career points. Parks is also expected to crack 1,000 points before season's end as he needs to only average 5.8 points the rest of the way to reach the milestone. He is also seventh all-time in school history in free throws made with 351 and he needs seven more to climb into sixth. Parks is tied with Brian Heinle (1997-2001) for eighth all-time in free throws attempted with 465.

With only one game this week, the Matadors will close their non-conference slate on Thursday, Dec. 29 against Morgan State at The Matadome. CSUN will then turn its attention to Big West play beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 4 versus UC Riverside at home.

CSUN is looking for its first ever win against Boise State on Wednesday. The all-time head-to-head series dates back to 1991 as the Broncos are 6-0 versus the Matadors including 4-0 at home. In the teams' last meeting in 2011, Boise State posted a 103-61 victory. CSUN has not defeated a team from the Mountain West Conference since defeating Utah State in 2005 (70-67) when the team was a member of the Western Athletic Conference, however, the Matadors have not earned a win over a team residing in the Mountain West since beating Wyoming, 74-71, in December 2000.

A Closer Look at Boise State
Boise State owns an overall record of 6-4 and a perfect 4-0 mark at Taco Bell Arena. The Broncos have won three of their last four games and have posted wins over SMU and Loyola Marymount during the stretch. On Sunday, Boise State handed Idaho State an 82-59 defeat to guarantee the team a winning record during non-conference play.

A junior guard and Southern California native (Mission Viejo, CA), Chandler Hutchison is averaging 17.2 points per game and 8.2 rebounds this season for the Broncos. Hutchison is also shooting 55.6 percent from the field. The tandem of freshman Justinian Jessup and senior Nick Duncan are the team's top shooters from 3-point range this season. Averaging 9.9 points, Jessup is shooting 40.0 percent from long range while Duncan is hitting 37.9 percent from 3-point range in addition to registering 10.9 points. Defensively, Boise State is holding opponents to 65.2 points per game, which ranks second-best in the Mountain West Conference.

Matadors Take on Boise State for the First Time Since 2011

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Players Mentioned

Tavrion Dawson

Darin Johnson

Rakim Lubin

Aaron Parks

Kendall Smith

Micheal Warren