Aaron Parks Tops 1,000 Points, CSUN Defeats Long Beach St., 108-98

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NORTHRIDGE, CA---

On a night where senior Aaron Parks reached 1,000 career points, CSUN Men's Basketball (10-12, 6-3 BWC) rode an offensive explosion in a 108-98 victory over Long Beach State (9-15, 4-4 BWC) on Wednesday evening at The Matadome. Junior forward Tavrion Dawson posted his third-straight double-double as he finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Kendall Smith scored 23 points and dished out seven assists while Darin Johnson scored a career-high 23 points and hit 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Micheal Warren chipped in with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench. Parks became the 19th Matador in team history to reach 1,000 career points as he scored 12 points on the night.

With the victory, CSUN earned its first season sweep of Long Beach State since 2007-08. The team also earned its sixth win in conference play, its most since the 2013-14 team won seven games. In addition, the Matadors scored their most points since scoring 105 points versus UC Riverside in double overtime three seasons ago and their most points at The Matadome since defeating Vanguard, 120-69 in 2012.

"I was really proud of our guys because in the first half, we had four deflections, and I told them at halftime that the team that wins this game is going to be one that has four or five stops in a row. In the second half, we had 21 deflections, which means we were active defensively," said head coach Reggie Theus. "I'm not really concerned that [Long Beach State] scored in the high 90's because that was the pace of the game. I was happy with about every aspect of the game except for the four or maybe five turnovers down the stretch."

Exceptional offensively, the Matadors shot 56.1 percent from the field while Long Beach State finished shooting 46.2 percent. At the free throw line, CSUN hit 26-of-32 (81.3 percent) on the night compared to the 49ers hitting 32-of-43 (74.4 percent) at the charity stripe. CSUN also out-rebounded LBSU, 36-33, and registered a 54-40 advantage in points in the paint.

In the first half, the 49ers jumped out to an early 11-6 lead at the 15:51 mark but the Matadors would respond with a run of their own. A 10-0 run led by Johnson's eight points gave CSUN a 16-11 advantage.

Both teams took turns exchanging leads at a rapid pace in a close first half. The score was tied a total of 11 times in the period and the lead changed hands on 13 occasions in the back-and-forth period.

Leading the Matadors, Dawson nearly posted a double-double in the first half, scoring 12 points while grabbing eight rebounds in the stanza. Also providing a boost offensively, Johnson scored 12 points as he knocked down 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Long Beach State went ahead 42-38 late in the first half on a layup from Evan Payne but the Matadors closed on a 12-3 run to take a 50-45 lead into halftime. Johnson punctuated the run with a driving jumper with nine seconds left on the clock.

After halftime, the 49ers snatched the lead right back after outscoring CSUN 9-3 in the opening minutes. Undeterred, the Matadors would orchestrate another run to take control of the contest. Rakim Lubin put the Matadors in front, 55-54, on a strong post move to the basket and CSUN would convert on the next four possessions to take a 64-59 advantage.

Coupled with their play on the offensive end, the Matadors turned up their defense in a crucial stretch of the second half. Holding Long Beach State to one field goal for nearly six minutes, the Matadors went on a 22-9 run to take a 91-74 lead at the 6:37 mark. Dawson provided a pair of highlight reel dunks during the run including a rim rattler following a block on the defensive end.

Despite trailing by their biggest margin, the 49ers continued to keep fighting down the stretch. Outscoring the Matadors, 12-4, Long Beach State pulled to within 102-96 with under a minute to play.

CSUN, however, would execute in the finaly seconds, knocking down four free throws to put the game out of reach. Johnson also punctuated the Matador victory with a slam dunk following a missed shot from Payne.

Joining the 1,000 point club, Parks sits at 1,002 career points after his performance against the 49ers. He is two points away from taking over sole possession of 18th place in the all-time Matador scoring list, which is currently occupied by Ollie Carter (1964-66).

"I knew I was 10 points shy [of 1,000 points], but I just wanted to win this game," said Parks about reaching the milestone. "I knew how big this win would mean for the team, and I'm just blessed that I was able to get 1,000 points and to be recognized as one of the best to come through here. I'm just blessed for all my teammates that I previously played with and everybody who kept me focused."

For the 49ers, Roschon Prince recorded a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds while Justin Bibbins finished with 20 points.

CSUN continues its four-game homestand on Saturday evening against Hawai'i at 7:30 p.m. The game is the second half of a CSUN Baseball Doubleheader, following CSUN Women's Basketball versus Hawai'i at 4 p.m.

Aaron Parks Tops 1,000 Points, CSUN Defeats Long Beach St., 108-98

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Team Stats

Tavrion Dawson

Kendall Smith

Darin Johnson

Micheal Warren

Players Mentioned

Tavrion Dawson

Darin Johnson

Rakim Lubin

Aaron Parks

Kendall Smith

Micheal Warren