CSUN Makes Thursday Trip to UCSB Before Hosting Fullerton on Saturday

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball continues a busy week of action on Thursday at UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from the Thunderdome. The Matadors then wrap up the week with a home matchup with Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister are on the call at GoMatadors.com/Radio.

LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors fell to 3-15 overall and 0-7 in Big West play with a heartbreaking 58-51 loss at Hawai'i (14-4, 5-1 Big West). CSUN trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half before a furious 24-6 run cut the lead to one with less than eight minutes to play. After Hawai'i stretched the lead to seven again, the Matadors would go on an 8-2 run to again to pull to within one. CSUN though could not catch Hawai'i and would miss a potential game-tying three in the closing seconds.

Dionte Bostick helped lead the comeback charge by scoring 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. Dearon Tucker reached double figures in points for the second-straight game, pouring in 10 points and eight rebounds. De'Sean Allen-Eikens added eight points and eight rebounds.

MATADOR HEADLINES
Two Matadors are ranked in the top-15 in The Big West in scoring as Atin Wright is 12th with a 13.7 average while Dionte Bostick is 13th at 13.6 points per game. Wright, who is ranked 15th nationally in free throw percentage, is second in The Big West with a 90.5 percentage from the line. The Matadors' leading scorer is also sixth in the league in 3-point field goals made per game (1.8) and 10th in steals per game (1.3). Bostick is 11th in the conference in assists per game (2.7) while De'Sean Allen-Eikens is 12th in rebounds per game at 5.8 to go with a 10.1 scoring average.

Bostick tops the Matadors in scoring in league play, averaging 13.4 points as he is shooting a team-high 43.5 percent from 3-point range (10-of-23).

Monday's loss at Hawai'i represented the 11th time this season that the Matadors have limited an opponent under 70 points. Last season, CSUN held the opposition under 70 points in 12 games for the year. The Matadors have also held four opponents to less than 60 points this season, posting an even 2-2 record in those games. In The Big West, CSUN is ranked third in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (31.2) and fifth in overall opponent field goal percentage (41.3).

SERIES HISTORY
UC Santa Barbara leads CSUN 45-21 in the all-time series with the Gauchos posting four consecutive wins. Last season, UCSB won 72-45 in Northridge before holding off CSUN in a close 70-61 decision at the Thunderdome. CSUN's last win in the series took place on Jan. 30, 2020, when Lamine Diane scored 26 points in a 79-67 triumph.

Cal State Fullerton holds a 51-36 edge over CSUN in the all-time series. The Titans prevailed over the Matadors, 64-52, on Dec. 31 for their fourth consecutive win in the series. Atin Wright scored 13 points in defeat while De'Sean Allen-Eikens added 10 points. CSUN's last win over Fullerton took place on Jan. 16, 2021, by an 86-85 score as Darius Brown II and Brendan Harrick had 25 points apiece.

SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
Currently a half-game out of first place in The Big West, UCSB (14-3, 5-1 Big West) handed UC Irvine its first conference loss on Monday by a 73-65 decision. Prior to Monday's win, UCSB had just suffered its first home loss of the season in a 65-64 defeat to UC Riverside. On the year, the Gauchos have won six of seven games at the Thunderdome. The preseason favorite to win The Big West, the Gauchos won the league two seasons ago. Head coach Joe Pasternack is in his fifth season.

Ajay Mitchell is fourth in The Big West in points per game at 15.8 while he is second in the league in assists per game (4.6). Other double-digit scorers on the team include Miles Norris (13.1) and Josh Pierre-Louis (10.1). Andre Kelly is seventh in the conference in rebounds per game (6.7) and Norris is eighth (6.4). The Gauchos lead The Big West in field goal percentage (48.8) to go with averaging 70.7 points.

SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON
The Titans snapped a two-game skid on Monday with a 76-46 win over CSU Bakersfield to improve to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in Big West play. While holding an 8-1 record at home, the Titans are 2-8 away from Titan Gym this season. Fullerton has gone 1-2 on the road in league play with its only win coming against Big West-leading UC Riverside. Currently sixth in the Big West standings, the Titans are only two games out of first place. Head coach Dedrique Taylor is in his 10th season.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is fifth in the conference in scoring average at 15.7 to go with 2.8 assists per game. Other double-digit scorers include Jalen Harris (13.8) and Max Jones (10.1). Vincent Lee leads the team in rebounds per game (5.3) while averaging 9.1 points. The Titans are second in The Big West in 3-point percentage (37.2) and sixth in scoring (70.0).

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CSUN Makes Thursday Trip to UCSB Before Hosting Fullerton on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

De'Sean Allen-Eikens

Dionte Bostick

Darius Brown II

Brendan Harrick

Dearon Tucker

Atin Wright