Team Stats
UCD
CSUN
FG%
.476
.381
3FG%
.286
.308
FT%
.000
.688
RB
38
29
TO
8
15
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned

Photo by: Will Navarro
CSUN Drops 64-47 Decision to UC Davis
1/20/2022 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball could not overcome a tough shooting second half as the Matadors fell to UC Davis 64-47 on Thursday at The Matadome. Atin Wright led the way with 14 points while Onyi Eyisi chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds. After the teams battled to a standstill in the first half, the Aggies outscored the Matadors 35-18 in the second period to pull away for the double-digit victory.
The Matadors (5-11, 1-3 Big West) shot over 47 percent in the first half but were held to 28.6 percent shooting in the second half to finish with a 38.1 percentage for the game while UC Davis (8-5, 1-1 Big West) finished with a 47.6 shooting percentage. The teams were nearly even in 3-point shooting as the Matadors made 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) and the Aggies connected on 4-of-14 attempts (28.6 percent). CSUN converted on 11-of-16 free throws (68.8 percent) compared to the Aggies who finished 0-of-6. UC Davis out-rebounded CSUN 38-29 and led by a 48-12 margin in points in the paint. The Matadors held a 21-4 edge in bench points.
GAME BREAKDOWN
CSUN struggled from the field in the early going, making just 1-of-7 shot attempts to start the game. Meanwhile, the Aggies took advantage by racing out to a 15-5 lead behind six points from Elijah Pepper. The Matadors would cut into the lead following five-straight points from Elijah Hardy before UC Davis stretched its lead back to nine on baskets from Ezra Manjon and Pepper.
The combination of Wright and Eyisi helped CSUN close the gap in the first half. Beginning with a 3-pointer from Wright, the duo scored 17-straight Matador points over the final minutes of the half. CSUN would complete a 12-2 run on two free throws from Eyisi and later led by a 27-25 margin on another long distance shot from Wright. Brendan Harrick gave CSUN a 29-27 edge on a jumper with 30 seconds to play but Christian Anigwe evened the game on a dunk to beat the halftime buzzer.
After intermission, the Matadors pulled in front on a jumper from Wright at 33-31 but the Aggies scored the next six points to grab the lead right back. An Eyisi jumper made it a 37-35 game before UC Davis scored six unanswered once more, completing a 12-2 run. The lead swelled to 10 points on a Pepper layup before the Matadors went on a 5-0 run, capped by a basket from Fidelis Okereke to cut the deficit to 47-42.
Unfortunately for CSUN, Okereke's layup with 7:28 left on the clock would be its last field goal for the remainder of the game. The Aggies constructed a 9-1 run to push the lead to 56-43 with under five minutes to play. Moments later, Manjon scored back-to-back baskets before Caleb Fuller stretched the Aggie advantage further to 62-45. Aaron Murphy closed the scoring for the Aggies with a layup with 1:06 remaining as UC Davis led by as many as 19 points in the closing seconds.
GAME NOTES
Wright has now recorded eight-straight double-digit scoring performances while he has scored 10 or more in 12 of 15 games this season. Okereke recorded eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Hardy added nine points, three assists and three rebounds.
For UC Davis, four players scored in double figures with Anigwe tallying a game-high 16 points. Manjon added 14 while Fuller and Pepper registered 13 points apiece.
ACCORDING TO COACH TRENT JOHNSON
"We competed really hard. It was like deja vu in terms of what happened against Long Beach and what happened against Fullerton. When I came out to watch [UC Davis] warm up, you can tell those kids have been in a system, Jim [Les] obviously does a good job. They're strong, they have a base to them, they know how to play and they're very efficient. I thought we battled, we really battled. I thought Marcel [Stevens] did a really good job in terms of doing some good things defensively but it's hard when they get 15 assists and eight turnovers and we go four and 15. They had a lot to do with that. 38-29 in the rebounds, they had a lot to do with that."
UP NEXT
The Matadors continue their homestand on Saturday night against UC Riverside at 7 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister will call the action on ESPN+ and GoMatadors.com/Radio.
#UniteTheValley
Â
The Matadors (5-11, 1-3 Big West) shot over 47 percent in the first half but were held to 28.6 percent shooting in the second half to finish with a 38.1 percentage for the game while UC Davis (8-5, 1-1 Big West) finished with a 47.6 shooting percentage. The teams were nearly even in 3-point shooting as the Matadors made 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) and the Aggies connected on 4-of-14 attempts (28.6 percent). CSUN converted on 11-of-16 free throws (68.8 percent) compared to the Aggies who finished 0-of-6. UC Davis out-rebounded CSUN 38-29 and led by a 48-12 margin in points in the paint. The Matadors held a 21-4 edge in bench points.
GAME BREAKDOWN
CSUN struggled from the field in the early going, making just 1-of-7 shot attempts to start the game. Meanwhile, the Aggies took advantage by racing out to a 15-5 lead behind six points from Elijah Pepper. The Matadors would cut into the lead following five-straight points from Elijah Hardy before UC Davis stretched its lead back to nine on baskets from Ezra Manjon and Pepper.
The combination of Wright and Eyisi helped CSUN close the gap in the first half. Beginning with a 3-pointer from Wright, the duo scored 17-straight Matador points over the final minutes of the half. CSUN would complete a 12-2 run on two free throws from Eyisi and later led by a 27-25 margin on another long distance shot from Wright. Brendan Harrick gave CSUN a 29-27 edge on a jumper with 30 seconds to play but Christian Anigwe evened the game on a dunk to beat the halftime buzzer.
After intermission, the Matadors pulled in front on a jumper from Wright at 33-31 but the Aggies scored the next six points to grab the lead right back. An Eyisi jumper made it a 37-35 game before UC Davis scored six unanswered once more, completing a 12-2 run. The lead swelled to 10 points on a Pepper layup before the Matadors went on a 5-0 run, capped by a basket from Fidelis Okereke to cut the deficit to 47-42.
Unfortunately for CSUN, Okereke's layup with 7:28 left on the clock would be its last field goal for the remainder of the game. The Aggies constructed a 9-1 run to push the lead to 56-43 with under five minutes to play. Moments later, Manjon scored back-to-back baskets before Caleb Fuller stretched the Aggie advantage further to 62-45. Aaron Murphy closed the scoring for the Aggies with a layup with 1:06 remaining as UC Davis led by as many as 19 points in the closing seconds.
GAME NOTES
Wright has now recorded eight-straight double-digit scoring performances while he has scored 10 or more in 12 of 15 games this season. Okereke recorded eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Hardy added nine points, three assists and three rebounds.
For UC Davis, four players scored in double figures with Anigwe tallying a game-high 16 points. Manjon added 14 while Fuller and Pepper registered 13 points apiece.
ACCORDING TO COACH TRENT JOHNSON
"We competed really hard. It was like deja vu in terms of what happened against Long Beach and what happened against Fullerton. When I came out to watch [UC Davis] warm up, you can tell those kids have been in a system, Jim [Les] obviously does a good job. They're strong, they have a base to them, they know how to play and they're very efficient. I thought we battled, we really battled. I thought Marcel [Stevens] did a really good job in terms of doing some good things defensively but it's hard when they get 15 assists and eight turnovers and we go four and 15. They had a lot to do with that. 38-29 in the rebounds, they had a lot to do with that."
UP NEXT
The Matadors continue their homestand on Saturday night against UC Riverside at 7 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister will call the action on ESPN+ and GoMatadors.com/Radio.
#UniteTheValley
Â
Texas State vs. Eastern Washington
Saturday, November 20
Texas State vs. Dixie State
Friday, November 19
A Conversation With Mark Gottfried
Friday, June 19
Preseason chat with Terrell Gomez
Thursday, October 03