Portland Rallies Past CSUN, 80-77

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Four Matadors scored in double figures but Portland would use a late rally to defeat CSUN Men's Basketball, 80-77, on Saturday evening at The Matadome. Sophomore Terrell Gomez led all scorers with a career-high 25 points and went 5-for-8 from the 3-point line. Battling with foul trouble, freshman Lamine Diane recorded his first career double-double, posting 21 points and 12 rebounds. Graduate Cameron Gottfried registered new career highs in points with 13 and assists with seven while Michael Ou chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.

CSUN led by as many as 18 points in the second half, however the Pilots would go 7-of-7 from 3-point land to pull out the win.

"We just have to learn how to win," said head coach Mark Gottfried. "We played a great first half. Second half we probably took our foot off the pedal defensively. We didn't have that same zip, and we've got to get a little better there. I think foul trouble probably hurt us. Lamine's fourth foul, I thought was a critical one at that point in the game. But we didn't defend them as well in the second half as we did in the first half, and I think that was the difference in the game."

The Matadors shot an even 50.0 percent in the first half but finished shooting 46.0 percent for the game. On the flip side, after being held to 34.4 percent shooting in the first half, the Pilots would shoot over 60.0 percent in the second half to finish at a 47.7 clip. The Matadors hit 8-of-18 from the 3-point arc (44.4 percent) while Portland made 10-of-18 (55.6 percent). CSUN out-rebounded Portland 41-36.

In the first half, the Matadors never trailed as they led by as many as 17 points. Gomez gave the Matadors an early 14-8 lead on an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 15:13 mark. Following a 3-pointer from Gottfried, Teddy Ochieng gave the Matadors their first double-digit lead at 23-13 with 8:22 on the clock.

CSUN completed a 13-6 run over a five-minute stretch, capped off by a 3-pointer from Gomez, that pushed the Matador lead to 38-22. Gomez knocked down another late 3-pointer with 37 seconds left but the Pilots' JoJo Walker hit a trey of his own to make it a 41-27 game at the break.

The Matadors remained in control in the early minutes of the second half, building an 18-point cushion. Diane scored four early points, followed by a layup from Ou that extended the lead to 47-29 with 17:59 on the clock. The Pilots though would fight back, constructing a 15-6 run to trim the deficit to single digits. Walker hit four of his six 3-pointers in the second half while Marcus Shaver Jr. hit a pair of his own to power the Portland offense. Diane also picked up a pivotal fourth personal foul with 9:34 to play, forcing him to the bench at a crucial point of the game.

Elijah Harkless would hit a jumper to push the lead to 65-55 with 8:55 left to play before Portland went on another run. A 9-0 spurt capped off by five-straight Walker points, cut the lead to one. Portland later took a two-point lead after five-straight points. CSUN fell behind 77-72 with 1:37 on the clock before four-straight free throws from Gomez made it a one-point game.

The Matadors trailed 78-76 with 13 seconds to play when Diane drove to the basket and was called for an offensive foul. However, after a video review, the call was overturned sending the freshman to the free throw line. Diane's first attempt rimmed out but his second went through the net. After a CSUN foul resulted in two made free throws from Shaver Jr., the Matadors in-bounded the ball with four seconds left. Darius Brown II would try a long pass up the court but the Pilots forced a turnover as the game clock expired.

CSUN returns to action next Tuesday evening to take on Tennessee State at The Matadome. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. Coverage on the CSUN Sports Network presented by Dignity Health will start at 6:50 p.m.

Players Mentioned

Darius Brown II

Lamine Diane

Terrell Gomez

Cameron Gottfried

Elijah Harkless

Teddy Ochieng

Michael Ou