Matadors Host UCSB Tuesday Before Heading to Hawai'i Thursday Night

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball (5-12, 1-4 Big West) opens a busy week of action on Tuesday against UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. Two days later, the Matadors will visit Hawai'i in a Thursday night game at 9 p.m. (PST). Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister have the call in both games at GoMatadors.com/Radio.

UCSB leads CSUN in the all-time series 43-21 but the teams have split the last four meetings. The Gauchos swept the season series from the Matadors last season, winning both games at The Matadome. UCSB routed CSUN in the opener 105-58 before holding off the Matadors in game two, 80-66. CSUN has dropped four of the last five meetings with the Gauchos at The Matadome.

Hawai'i has won 18 of 26 all-time meetings with CSUN but the programs have split the last four season series. Last season, the teams played in a pair of nail-biters at The Matadome as Hawai'i won game one 75-74 on a late 3-point shot from Biwali Bayles but CSUN bounced back with an 88-80 overtime win a day later in a game where the Matadors trailed by 23 points in the first half. Darius Brown II also recorded the Matadors' first-ever triple-double against a Division I opponent against Hawai'i last season. CSUN has won two of the last three meetings with the Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu.

CSUN began its three-game homestand with a pair of losses last week to UC Davis (64-47) on Thursday and UC Riverside on Saturday (77-67). The Matadors played the Aggies to standstill in the first half as the score was tied up at 29-29 at halftime but UC Davis would outscore CSUN 35-18 in the second half to pick up the victory. Two days later, then Matadors dug a 20-point hole to the Highlanders before rallying to cut the lead to 10 but a comeback was not in the cards.

Atin Wright shouldered the scoring load for the Matadors in both games last week, scoring 14 and 19 points, respectively, against the two opponents. Fidelis Okereke was also a bright spot against UC Riverside, scoring a career-high 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Heading into the week, Wright remains in 10th place in points per game in the Big West (13.1) while he is second in free throw percentage (89.5). Elijah Hardy is fourth in the league in steals per game (1.5) and eighth in assists per game (2.8) to go with his 10.5 points per game average. Fidelis Okereke is up to sixth in the Big West in blocks per game while Christian Gray is 19th in rebounds per game (4.9).

A Closer Look at UC Santa Barbara
The Gauchos (7-7, 0-2 Big West) have had five total conference games canceled due to COVID-19 protocols including their scheduled two games last week. UCSB last played on Jan. 15 when it lost to Cal State Fullerton 79-73. The team has lost the last three games, all of which on the road as the Gauchos have gone 0-6 on the road this season. Head coach Joe Pasternack is in his fifth season at the helm of UCSB.

Amadou Sow leads the Big West in field goal percentage (58.2) while he is second in rebounds per game (8.1) and fourth in points per game (15.8). Ajay Mitchell tops the conference in assists to turnover ratio (2.3) and is second in assists per game (4.3). Ajare Sanni is second on the Gauchos in scoring at 10.7 points per game. As a team, UCSB scores a league-best 75.6 points per game while the Gauchos also pace the Big West in field goal percentage (48.9).

A Closer Look at Hawai'i
The Rainbow Warriors (9-5, 4-0 Big West) have won five-straight games and are off to their best conference start since 2016. Hawai'i swept its two games last week on the road, winning at CSU Bakersfield (63-59) and at Cal Poly (69-56). The team has gone 5-3 at the Simplifi Arena this season. Head coach Eran Ganot is in his seventh season leading the Hawai'i program.

Noel Coleman tops the Big West in 3-point field goal percentage (45.7) and ranks second in points per game (16.0). Three other players on the team are scoring in double figures, which include Bernardo da Silva (12.4), Jerome Desrosiers (12.1) and Junior Madut (11.1). Desrosiers is also third in the Big West in rebounds per game (8.0) while JoVon McCalanhan is fourth in assists per game (3.8). Hawai'i is first in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (37.5) and third in scoring average (73.5).

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Matadors Host UCSB Tuesday Before Heading to Hawai'i Thursday Night

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Players Mentioned

Darius Brown II

Christian Gray

Elijah Hardy

Fidelis Okereke

Atin Wright