Balanced Scoring Leads CSUN to Second Straight Road Win

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball (7-16, 3-7 Big West) earned its second consecutive road win by knocking off CSU Bakersfield 71-65 on Saturday at the Icardo Center. Five Matadors scored in double figures led by Atin Wright with 22 points.

Elijah Hardy chipped in with 13 points and six steals while Darius Beane had 13 points and seven rebounds. Onyi Eyisi recorded 11 points and Fidelis Okereke posted 10 points and six rebounds.

The Matadors shot an even 50.0 percent for the game and held the 'Runners to 36.5 percent shooting. CSUN connected on 8-of-19 from 3-point range (42.1 percent) while CSUB made 6-of-18 (33.3 percent). At the free throw line, the 'Runners went 21-of-26 (80.8 percent) compared to the Matadors who finished 13-of-24 (54.2 percent). CSUB had a 37-28 edge in the rebounding department. CSUN posted a 12-4 advantage in steals.

GAME BREAKDOWN
The Matadors shot 54 percent in the half while the 'Runners struggled to 35 percent shooting as CSUN led for nearly the entire period. CSUB scored the first basket of the game but the Matadors quickly seized momentum with a 14-2 run to build a 10-point lead. CSUN held CSU Bakersfield scoreless for over seven minutes during the early portion of the first half.

After missing 12 consecutive shots, CSUB would convert on four of its next five attempts from the field to battle back to within 20-14. Wright scored 13 points in the first half to pace the Matadors while Beane also gave CSUN a lift off the bench. The tandem scored the Matadors' final 11 points to end the first half as Beane capped the period with a late jumper to put CSUN ahead 31-23.

CSUN pushed its lead back to double digits to start the second half after early baskets from Hardy and Eyisi. The 'Runners again chipped away at the deficit, eventually pulling to within seven but Okereke responded with an emphatic dunk moments later. Wright would follow with a 3-pointer then Okereke picked up a three-point play on the next possession to close an 8-0 run. With CSUN leading 44-29, the 'Runners earned their way to the free throw line the next two times down the floor before a dunk from Cameron Smith quickly trimmed the CSUN advantage to eight (44-36).

CSUB closed the gap to seven at 56-49 but the Matadors again answered back by scoring five of the next seven points. Beane would make a highlight-reel play on an offensive rebound where he leaped out of bounds to save the ball. Beane's long pass to near mid-court found Hardy, who then dished off a pass to Wright for a corner 3-pointer, pushing the lead to 62-51.

CSUB made one last push in the final four minutes as Kalen Higgins scored five consecutive points. Moments later, Dalph Panopio converted on a four-point play to trim the Matador lead to 65-63. The next time down the floor, the Matadors earned their way to the free throw line where Eyisi made two crucial attempts. Eyisi also came up with a timely blocked shot on CSUB's next possession. The Matadors would get clutch free throws from Beane and Hardy in the final seconds to help secure the win.

GAME NOTES
Wright finished 7-of-14 from the floor including 6-of-9 from 3-point range. Off the bench, Okereke went 4-of-4 from the floor while Beane made 5-of-9 attempts.

The Matadors' win tied the all-time season series with CSU Bakersfield at 24-24. The Matadors have won two of three meetings at the Icardo Center over the last two seasons.

For CSUB, Justin Edler-Davis had a team-high 19 points while Justin McCall chipped in with 15 points.

ACCORDING TO COACH TRENT JOHNSON
"I thought we really competed. We had some guys really step up and compete but play through a lot of fatigue. Playing nine guys without Brendan [Harrick] especially, we played against a team that plays so hard. I have nothing but the utmost respect for Rod Barnes. I don't know how many of our viewers know how good a coach he is but he was at Ole Miss where he was SEC Coach of the Year and the National Coach of the Year. His teams are extremely physical. I told our guys 'we're going to get tested here physically.' We kept our composure and we responded. It's a really good win. It's really hard to get a win anywhere but we had two good road wins."

UP NEXT
CSUN returns home for a Thursday match-up with first-place Long Beach State. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister are on the call on ESPN+ and GoMatadors.com/Radio.

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Team Stats

Atin Wright

Darius Beane

Elijah Hardy

Onyi Eyisi

Players Mentioned

Darius Beane

Onyi Eyisi

Elijah Hardy

Fidelis Okereke

Atin Wright