Matadors Hold Off Portland State, 69-66

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Behind a career-high night from Atin Wright, CSUN Men's Basketball (4-6) defeated Portland State 69-66 on Saturday at The Matadome. Wright scored 28 points to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals while Brendan Harrick had 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. The Matadors led by as many as 15 points in the second half and held off a late charge from the Vikings to pick up the victory.

CSUN finished shooting 36.5 percent while Portland State posted a 38.6 shooting percentage for the game. In 3-point shooting, the two sides were nearly identical as the Matadors went 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) and the Vikings finished 5-of-18 (27.8 percent). The Matadors earned 34 total trips to the free throw line, making 25 attempts for a 73.5 percent clip compared to the Vikings who made 17-of-20 (85.0 percent). Portland State, which came in 18th in the nation in rebounding, held a small edge on the glass at 39-35.

GAME BREAKDOWN
Neither side surged offensively in the first half as each team shot below 33 percent from the floor. CSUN would score the first five points to start the game but the Vikings scored the next nine points to take the lead. The Matadors made just three of their first 13 attempts but would take a 12-11 lead on a 3-pointer from Harrick at the 9:43 mark of the opening period. However, CSUN went scoreless over a three-minute span, giving Portland State a chance to reclaim the lead with five consecutive points.

The final seven minutes of the first half though belonged to the Matadors. Wright scored six of 10 consecutive Matador points that put CSUN ahead by six. The 6-1 guard also rebounded his own missed 3-point shot and converted on a traditional 3-point play with 1:35 left to play. Darius Beane would drain a pair of free throws late in the half to give the Matadors a 29-22 edge at halftime.

CSUN extended its lead to double digits early in the second half after baskets from Harrick and Onyi Eyisi. Wright continued to provide the Matadors with offense in the second half including a 3-pointer at the 15:00 mark that gave CSUN a 40-27 edge. Harrick sank a 3-pointer of his own three minutes later that extended the lead to 15 points (46-31).

The Vikings though fought their way back down the stretch of the game. After a pair of CSUN turnovers, the Vikings closed an 11-4 run that trimmed the lead to single digits. Ian Burke would knock down back-to-back 3-pointers that bought Portland State closer at 59-53. Marlon Ruffin also helped close the gap, scoring 11 consecutive points, which put the Vikings on top 64-63.

Trailing for the first time since the six-minute mark of the first half, the Matadors reclaimed the lead on the ensuing possession on a Harrick putback layup. The Matadors' defense would be the difference in the closing moments of the game, picking up four consecutive defensive stops while Elijah Hardy and Wright made free throws to keep CSUN ahead by three. Portland State had one last look to tie the game before the buzzer but Michael Carter III missed from long range.

GAME NOTES
Wright scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half and finished 12-of-13 at the free throw line. His 28 points eclipsed his previous career-best mark of 22 points that he scored last season at Cal State Fullerton. Harricks' 16 points were a season-high while his nine rebounds and three blocked shots were career-best marks.

Beane added eight points, five rebounds and two steals for CSUN while Hardy had six points, six rebounds and three assists.

For the Vikings, Ruffin scored a team-high 26 points and Burke chipped in with 10.

ACCORDING TO COACH TRENT JOHNSON
"We competed really hard. I thought for the most part we were good. From start to finish, that's about as hard as we've played all year. I'd like to commend Portland State because they kept coming at us. They put a lot of pressure on us defensively. They really had a lot of guys bouncing on us down the stretch. One thing we are doing, we are getting a lot of experience in late-game situations. For the most part, I thought we were pretty good defensively – 22 points we held them in the first half. In the second half, they got 40, which is to be expected. In the rebound differential, we've been struggling, so we improved there. We got to the free throw line."

UP NEXT
The Matadors conclude non-conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 22 hosting Bethesda at 2 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister are on the call on ESPN+ and GoMatadors.com/Radio.

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Players Mentioned

Darius Beane

Onyi Eyisi

Elijah Hardy

Brendan Harrick

Atin Wright