CSUN Returns to The Matadome to Host Cal State Fullerton

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball (12-7, 7-6 Big West) takes to the court on Saturday night against Cal State Fullerton inside The Matadome at 7 p.m. The game will stream live on BigWest.TV with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call at 6:50 p.m. Saturday's contest is also the Veteran Appreciation Game as veterans can receive free admission and up to four tickets with a military ID. The first 500 fans also receive a free CSUN Camo t-shirt.

Prior to Saturday's game, fans are encouraged to come early and take part in the Pre-Game Fan Fest presented by Northridge Toyota held on The Matadome West Patio at 5:30 p.m. There will be free food in addition to music, giveaways and games at the Fan Fest. CSUN students can enter to win $500 by taking a mid-court shot during halftime of the Matadors' game.

UC Irvine (12-2) clinched the outright Big West regular season title on Thursday and the top seed in the conference tournament. UC Santa Barbara (8-5) still maintains a one-game lead on the trio of CSUN (7-6), Hawai'i (7-6) and UC Davis (7-6) for second place. All five of those teams have qualified for the Big West Tournament. Tied for sixth place is Cal State Fullerton (5-8) and Long Beach State (5-8) while UC Riverside (5-9) is in eighth place and one game ahead of ninth-place Cal Poly (4-10). The top eight teams will play in the Big West Tournament held at the Honda Center from March 12-14.

The Matadors earned a 73-64 road win at Long Beach State on Wednesday, which completed a season sweep. Sophomore Lamine Diane scored 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half as the Matadors led by as many as 16 points in the second half. Freshman Festus Ndumanya tallied a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting while junior Terrell Gomez chipped in with 14 points of his own.

The win over the Beach was just the program's second at Walter Pyramid since the 2007-08 season. At 7-6 in league play, the Matadors have an opportunity to reach eight league wins on Saturday for the first time since the 2010-11 season (9-7 finish). CSUN could also match last season's win total with a win over Cal State Fullerton.

In the CSUN record book, this season's Matadors could have two all-time Top 10 scorers in school history in the near future. Gomez is currently fifth in career points with 1,574 while Diane is in 11th place with 1,225 points. Diane is just 37 points away from passing Jeff Parris (1997-01) for 10th on the list. The tandem is also in the Top 10 list for career field goals made as Gomez is in fifth place with 523 and Diane is in ninth with 485. Gomez, who is the program's career leader in 3-point field goals made (281), is only three made triples away from passing Tony Brown (Utah State) and Anderson Hunt (UNLV) for fifth on the Big West's career list.

Gomez remains the national leader in free throw percentage (94.1) entering the weekend while he is also ranked in fifth place in 3-point field goals made (99) and 14th in 3-point percentage (42.9). He leads the Big West in a host of categories including points per game (19.7), minutes per game (37.2), field goals made (188), 3-point field goals made and free throw percentage. Darius Brown II is first in the conference in assists to turnover ratio (2.9) to go with averaging 10.2 points and 3.9 assists. Elijah Harkless paces the league in steals per game (1.7) while he is scoring 9.9 points.

Diane will qualify to rank on the Big West leaderboard should he play in the Matadors' three remaining regular season games and the opening round of the Big West Tournament. Players need to compete in 60 percent of their team's games to qualify for the leaderboard. Diane is averaging 25.4 points and 9.8 rebounds, which would both lead the Big West Conference had he played in enough games this season. The 6-8 forward's 25.4 points per game are also third-best in the nation.

Cal State Fullerton leads CSUN 47-34 in the all-time series after a tight 82-75 win at Titan Gym earlier this season. CSUN erased a 14-point deficit in the loss earlier in the season and eventually took the lead in the second half but the Titans scored the final seven points in the final minute of the game. Diane scored 32 points and added 12 rebounds in defeat while Gomez chipped in with 20 points. CSUN has lost the last seven in the series including three in a row at The Matadome. The Matadors are seeking their first home win over the Titans since Feb. 2016.

A Closer Look at Cal State Fullerton
The Titans come in with a 10-18 record and 5-8 mark in league play. Fullerton has dropped three of its last four games including a road game at Hawai'i (70-59) on Thursday. The team is currently first in the Big West in opponent 3-point percentage (33.2) while its third in defensive rebounds per game (25.5) and blocks per game (3.0).

Senior Jackson Rowe leads the Big West in rebounds per game (7.4) while he is third in blocks per game (1.2), fourth in points per game (15.6) and seventh in 3-point percentage (42.0). Graduate Brandon Kamga is fifth in the league in scoring (15.2) to go with 4.5 rebounds. Running the point, senior Austen Awosika is second in the Big West in assists per game (4.1) while he is scoring 12.8 points.

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CSUN Returns to The Matadome to Host Cal State Fullerton

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Players Mentioned

Darius Brown II

Lamine Diane

Terrell Gomez

Elijah Harkless

Festus Ndumanya