CSUN Rallies to Defeat Cal State Fullerton

FULLERTON, Callif. --- The CSUN women's basketball team (7-22, 5-10 Big West) defeated Cal State Fullerton (3-26, 1-14 BWC) 82-71 Thursday night in a Big West Conference game at Titan Gym. Freshman Channon Fluker posted her 10th double-double of the conference season with 22 points and 12 rebounds while fellow rookie Cheyenne Allen set a career high with her 13 points and matched her career best with eight assists.

Freshmen led the way for the Matadors, who started four rookies in the victory. In addition to Fluker and Allen's performances, freshman Claudia Ramos knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers, all in the first period, while Nautica Morrow added seven points, three assists and three rebounds.

Trailing at the break, Fluker pushed CSUN past Cal State Fullerton with 11 points in the period as CSUN took a 61-57 advantage after 30 minutes of work.

In the fourth period, CSUN opened the frame on an 8-0 run to take a 69-57 lead after a 3-pointer from Serafina Maulupe. The Titans, who are still fighting for their postseason lives, tried to claw back in it and got back to within eight, but the Matadors held on through some timely shots from Morrow and Emily Cole.

Fluker finished 9-of-17 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Four of her 12 rebounds came on the offensive glass and she is averaging 17.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game in 15 Big West Conference games.

Allen was 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line to finish with a career-high 13 points. She matched her career best with eight assists and added five rebounds in 37 minutes of action.

Ramos scored all 15 of her points in the first period and posted three rebounds in just 11 minutes of work. Cole recorded nine points on three 3-pointers and needs three more to move into 10th in program history with 85 career treys.

The Matadors and Titans engaged in an offensive showcase in the first half. Ramos finished the first period with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range to set a new career high for treys. The Titans were not to be outdone, hitting five 3-pointers in the period as a team to take a 25-22 lead after 10 minutes.

In the second period, the Titans continued their hot shooting and knocked down another two 3-pointers in the period. That allowed Cal State Fullerton to build a lead as big as 39-32 before the Matadors, behind Fluker and Boagni, narrowed the gap to 39-36 at the break.

The teams combined to shoot 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) from downtown in the opening 20 minutes.

CSUN shot 54.5 percent (30-of-55) for the game and a blistering 70.8 percent (17-of-24) in the second half. The Matadors won the rebounding battle 37-32 and finished 11 3-pointers, their second-most in a game this season.

The Matadors close out the regular season Saturday, Mar. 5 with a 3:30 p.m. contest against Long Beach State at The Matadome. After the game, the Matadors will honor their lone senior on the 2015-16 roster, Jasmine Johnson.

CSUN has clinched the No. 7 seed in the upcoming Big West Tournament and will play on Tuesday, Mar. 8 at 8:30 p.m. at the Bren Events Center on UC Irvine's campus. The opponent is still to be determined.

Players Mentioned

Cheyenne Allen

Emily Cole

Channon Fluker

Jasmine Johnson

Serafina Maulupe

Nautica Morrow

Claudia Ramos