UC Davis Holds Off CSUN Late, 66-62

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball (7-13, 2-2 Big West) had two chances to tie the game in the final seconds but UC Davis (8-11, 2-1 Big West) held on for a 66-62 triumph on Saturday afternoon at The Matadome. Junior Terrell Gomez led all scorers with 22 points while sophomore Lamine Diane became the fastest Matador in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Diane finished with 19 points to go with 11 rebounds, pushing his career scoring tally to 1,010 points in just 40 games with the Matadors.

Both teams struggled from the field throughout the day with CSUN settling in on 36.5 percent shooting while the Aggies shot 36.4 percent. The Matadors made just 10-of-27 from downtown (37.0 percent). UC Davis made 11-of-30 3-pointers (36.7 percent). The Aggies were efficient from the free throw line all day long, making 15-of-19 (78.9 percent) while the Matadors converted on 6-of-10 (60.0 percent). On the glass, the Matadors held a narrow 43-39 edge.

FIRST HALF
The Matadors got off to a slow start, making two of their first seven shots to fall into a 12-5 hole. Gomez and Diane would hit back-to-back 3-pointers to bring the Matadors within one but CSUN would be trailing for nearly the entire half. Ezra Manjon stretched the lead to five with a 3-pointer then four-straight from Elijah Pepper put the Matadors behind 24-15 with 8:25 left in the half.

CSUN rallied in the closing minutes of the half despite Diane being forced to the bench with foul trouble. Lance Coleman II and Gomez drilled consecutive 3-pointers to trim the lead to 28-23 before Jared Pearre scored a runner in the lane. Gomez scored on a drive to the basket to bring the Matadors within one with 2:03 left to play. Darius Brown II would close a CSUN 9-0 run with a layup following a steal from Elijah Harkless. However, Matt Neufeld earned his way to the free throw line in the final seconds and made both to give the Aggies a 30-29 edge at intermission.

SECOND HALF
Diane picked up a steal leading to a Gomez 3-pointer, which gave the Matadors a 32-30 lead. After falling behind by one, the Matadors went on a 7-0 run to build their biggest lead of day at 39-33. CSUN though went scoreless for over four minutes, giving the Aggies a chance to rally to take a 40-39 lead. Harkless drained a 3-pointer to give the Matadors a brief two-point lead but the Aggies responded in kind with consecutive 3-pointers from Joe Mooney and Stefan Gonzalez.

CSUN remained within scoring distance after a 3-pointer from Gomez, which cut the deficit to 49-47. The Matadors later pulled to within one (54-53) after a layup from Diane with 5:25 remaining. UC Davis though forged ahead with eight-straight points, capped by a 3-pointer from Manjon. Trailing by nine with under three minutes to play, CSUN made one final surge. Coleman II and Gomez scored back-to-back buckets before Harkless made a mid-range jumper to make it a 62-59 game. CSUN fell behind by six in the final minute but Gomez knocked down a 3-pointer and CSUN had a chance to tie on a Coleman II 3-pointer. After Coleman II's trey fell short, Diane had one final attempt that went short as well in the final seconds. Squire iced the game at the free throw line following a CSUN foul.

GAME NOTES
Reaching 1,000 points on Saturday, Diane reached the milestone six games ahead of the previous record-holder Ollie Carter who accomplished the feat in 46 games. Diane is the 21st Matador in school history to reach 1,000 points and the first since Gomez did it last season. Diane also posted his 24th career double-double in the game.

Gomez finished 6-of-12 from 3-point range and dished out three assists. Brown II added seven rebounds and five points while Pearre chipped in with seven rebounds and four points.

For UC Davis, Manjon had a team-high 16 points.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH MARK GOTTFRIED
"They were better than us today. They played better than us from start to finish. They moved the ball a little bit better and were quicker than we were. They probably defended us better than we defended them so they deserved to win.

We had open shots and we couldn't make them. It really put pressure on our defense, especially in the second half. I think at one point, we were shooting 21 percent. We still had a chance to win. Lance had a shot to tie it right there but you have to give those guys credit. They did a better job than we did today."

UP NEXT
The Matadors open up a two-game road trip next week beginning with a Thursday road test at UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

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Team Stats

Terrell Gomez

Lamine Diane

Lance Coleman II

Elijah Harkless

Players Mentioned

Darius Brown II

Lance Coleman II

Lamine Diane

Terrell Gomez

Elijah Harkless

Jared Pearre