Matadors Defeat UC Riverside, Post First Big West Road Win

RIVERSIDE, Calif.---Sophomore Lamine Diane scored a game-high 36 points and added nine rebounds and three steals as CSUN Men's Basketball (7-12, 2-1 Big West) picked up a bounce-back win at UC Riverside (12-7, 2-1 Big West), 80-68, on Thursday at the SRC Arena. Diane finished 13-of-22 from the field and made 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Junior Terrell Gomez tallied 17 points and four assists while sophomore Elijah Harkless chipped in with 11 points and three steals.

CSUN finished shooting 52.7 percent and made 8-of-14 from 3-point range (57.1 percent). The Matadors also converted on 14-of-20 from the free throw line (70.0 percent). The Highlanders shot 46.4 percent for the night, making 8-of-24 from long range (33.3 percent). UCR edged CSUN in rebounding, 32-31, but the Matadors had more steals at 9-3.

FIRST HALF
The Matadors made three of four to start the game to lead 7-4 in the early going. After four-straight Highlander points, the Matadors went on a 7-2 spurt to lead by a 14-10 margin. Elijah Harkless ignited the run with a steal, leading to a Festus Ndumanya putback layup. Gomez stretched the lead to six on two free throws before the Highlanders surged ahead with a 15-6 run to go ahead 25-21 following a 3-pointer from Khy Kabellis.

Matadors up on UCR 14-10 after some good hustle on both sides of the court. pic.twitter.com/pgvTTR58vJ
— CSUN Men's Basketball (@CSUNMBB) January 17, 2020

CSUN though took control over the final seven minutes, outscoring the Highlanders 19-11 over that span. Diane would even the game after a fadeaway jumper then Gomez drained a 3-pointer in transition to put the Matadors on top. Harkless knocked down a pair of tough mid-range jumpers to help keep the Highlanders at bay before Jared Pearre stretched the lead to seven on a layup. Callum McRae would trim the deficit to 40-36 at the break on a late basket.

SECOND HALF
Diane got the Matadors started with a dunk right out of intermission then a Ndumanya steal led to an offensive rebound and putback for the Matador freshman. Harkless later buried a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 48-40. The Highlanders though would not go away quietly as a Zac Watson layup capped an 8-3 spurt to bring UCR within 51-48. Ndumanya's dunk gave the Matadors some breathing room and Diane followed with a jumper to make it a seven-point game.

First you don't succeed...#CSUN 65, UCR 54 - 7:40 on the clock#UniteTheValley pic.twitter.com/DYsejBpmtO
— CSUN Men's Basketball (@CSUNMBB) January 17, 2020

Diane was outstanding throughout the second half, scoring 24 of his 36 points in the stanza. He converted on a putback layup after a Lance Coleman II missed 3-pointer then he buried a 3-pointer to push the lead to double digits. In perhaps the highlight of the night, Diane threw down a one-handed dunk off a lob pass from Darius Brown II on the fast break to put CSUN on top 71-57. For good measure, Diane converted on a traditional 3-point play, extending the lead further to 15 points with five-plus minutes to play.

Darius to Lamine! #CSUN 71, UCR 59 - 5:41 to play pic.twitter.com/BKMM4nMSAA
— CSUN Men's Basketball (@CSUNMBB) January 17, 2020

UCR made one final push in the final minutes, going on a 7-0 run to pull within eight but Gomez drilled a clutch 3-pointer moments later to give CSUN a 77-66 lead. The Matadors would control the clock in the final minutes and convert at the free throw line to hold on for the road win.

Big shot from Terrell Gomez! #CSUN 77, UCR 66 - 46.4 seconds to go!#UniteTheValley pic.twitter.com/fFvLIv0OVD
— CSUN Men's Basketball (@CSUNMBB) January 17, 2020

GAME NOTES
Diane's 36 points and 13 field goals made are new season highs for the sophomore. He also pushed his career points tally to 991. With nine more points in the next Matadors' game, Diane would be the quickest player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.

Brown II finished with eight points and four rebounds while Ndumanya added six points and two rebounds off the bench.

For the Highlanders, Angus McWilliam had a team-high 15 points.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH MARK GOTTFRIED
"We rebounded it pretty well. I think we did a good job of doubling the post, scrambled out of that and covered down really well. They're pretty good when those big guys get to just play with it down there because they're big and strong. Our guys did a great job, they bounced back. We laid an egg the last game. We came on the road and played a team that was 2-0 in the league.

Obviously, Lamine made big shots throughout the game. I think Terrell's three down here was kind of the dagger. It was the one that pushed it right over the edge. Really proud of our guys with how they bounced back."

UP NEXT
CSUN returns home Saturday afternoon to take on UC Davis. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. and the game will stream live on ESPN3.

#UniteTheValley

Players Mentioned

Darius Brown II

Lance Coleman II

Lamine Diane

Terrell Gomez

Elijah Harkless

Festus Ndumanya

Jared Pearre