Hot-Shooting Cal Defeats CSUN

BERKELEY, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball (3-3) dropped an 87-56 decision to California (4-4) on Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The Matadors struggled from the field throughout the contest while the Bears shot at 60 percent nearly all game long in their double-digit victory.

Junior TJ Starks recorded 13 points, three assists and two steals while freshman Atin Wright scored a career-high 10 points. Senior Lance Coleman II added eight points and five rebounds.

The Matadors shot just 34.7 percent on the floor while the Bears soared at 60.8 percent from the field. Cal also shot 9-of-17 from 3-point range (52.9 percent) while CSUN made 7-of-17 from long range (41.2 percent). The Bears out-rebounded the Matadors 35-25 and dominated in points in the paint, 36-14.

FIRST HALF
After missing their first three shots to start the game, the Matadors made their next five to keep the game close. The Bears put the Matadors in an early 15-6 hole until an 8-3 CSUN spurt trimmed the deficit to 18-14 with 11:03 on the clock. However, Cal would score with regularity in the first half behind their top two scorers Makale Foreman and Ryan Betley who combined for 28 points in the period. Out of the media timeout, Cal took control with a 12-2 run to quickly extend the lead to 30-16.

Foreman scored 11-straight points for his team at one point while Betley made all four of his first-half shots including three from 3-point range. Alex Merkviladze paced the Matadors with seven points in the opening stanza as his jumper pulled CSUN within 34-20 with 4:01 left in the period. Cal though never let the Matadors inch closer in the final minutes. CSUN trailed by as many as 20 points in the period until a late jumper from Miles Brookins made it a 43-25 game at the break.

SECOND HALF
Aside from an early 3-pointer from Starks that briefly brought CSUN to within 18 points, Cal led by 20-plus points throughout the second half. Starks helped cut the deficit to 59-36 after two free throws but the Bears responded with a 10-0 run, capped by 3-pointers from Betley and Foreman. The Bears would eventually extend their lead to 40 points at 83-43 following a free throw from Monty Bowser.

The Matadors turned to their bench in the closing minutes of the second half and found solid performances from Wright and Fidelis Okereke. Wright scored all 10 of his points in the final stanza as he made two field goals from 3-point range. Okereke added seven points highlighted by a dunk in transition with 2:33 left to play. However, it would not be enough to cut into the large deficit as Cal led comfortably down the stretch.

GAME NOTES
Along with his seven points, Okereke grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Wright made 2-of-5 from 3-point range as well as 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Sophomore George Nwogu made his season debut and finished with a rebound in five minutes.

For Cal, Foreman had a game-high 23 points while Betley scored 19 points. The tandem made a combined 9-of-14 from 3-point range.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH MARK GOTTFRIED
"I don't think we played very well at all. Obviously, everything starts with me and our staff and we've got to do a better job of getting them ready to play. We're a lot better and I believe we can be better. We turned the ball over a lot, we took bad shots, our shot selection was poor, I thought defensively we had a hard time containing the dribble and they blew right by us a number of times. We've got to be a lot better and get back to playing the way that we need to play so our team has the best chance to win."

UP NEXT
CSUN returns to The Matadome on Tuesday afternoon against Pacific. Tip-off is slated at 2 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister are on the call beginning at 1:50 p.m. on BigWest.TV.

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Team Stats

TJ Starks

Atin Wright

Lance Coleman II

Alex Merkviladze

Players Mentioned

Miles Brookins

Lance Coleman II

Alex Merkviladze

George Nwogu

Fidelis Okereke

TJ Starks

Atin Wright