Matadors Back Home This Week to Host UC Davis and UC Irvine

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball returns to the friendly confines of Premier America Credit Union Arena this week for a pair of home league contests. The Matadors square off with UC Davis on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ before wrapping up the week with a Saturday matinee matchup with UC Irvine at 1 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister have the call for both televised games while fans can also listen to audio only broadcasts at GoMatadors.com/Radio.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN slipped to 3-12 overall and 0-4 in Big West play with a pair of losses last week. The Matadors dropped a hard-fought 84-74 decision to Long Beach State last Thursday at Premier America Credit Union Arena. The week would wrap up with a 68-45 defeat at UC Riverside last Saturday.

The Matadors could not keep pace offensively with Long Beach State as the Beach shot 48 percent for the game while the Matadors finished at 41 percent. Long Beach State also out-rebounded CSUN 46-32 in the contest. Four Matadors scored in double figures with Dionte Bostick leading the way with 22 points. Fidelis Okereke registered his second career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds off the bench.

CSUN shot a season-low 23.4 percent in the loss at UC Riverside. After getting off to a strong start, leading 13-3, the Matadors would not make a field goal for 16 minutes in the game. The Highlanders who ended the first half on an 8-0 run to lead 22-15 at the break, built a double-digit lead early in the second half and never looked back. Bostick was the Matadors' lone double-digit scorer, totaling 11 points.

MATADOR HEADLINES
On Thursday, CSUN opens a busy six-day stretch where the Matadors will play three games including making the long trek to Hawai'i on Jan. 16. Next week, the Matadors will play three times during the calendar week as CSUN also visits UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Jan. 19 and hosts Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 21.

CSUN leading scorer Atin Wright reached double figures for the 12th time this season last Thursday against Long Beach State. Wright has scored 10 or more in all but three games on the year. Dating back to last season, Wright has hit the mark in 36 of his last 44 games.

Wright is eighth in The Big West in points per game (14.7) while teammate Dionte Bostick checks in 13th (13.2) heading into the week. In free throw percentage, Wright is ranked second (90.3) and in steals per game he is fifth (1.5). Bostick is 13th in the league in assists per game (2.6) while De'Sean Allen-Eikens is ranked in 13th place in rebounds per game (5.6).

SERIES HISTORY
UC Davis leads CSUN 27-21 in the all-time series with the Aggies winning the last three meetings. Last season's series saw UC Davis hold the Matadors to under 50 points in both games (64-47 and 68-49). The Matadors' last win over the Aggies took place on Feb. 5, 2021 with TJ Starks scoring a team-high 18 in an 80-77 victory.

UC Irvine holds a 40-25 edge over CSUN in the all-time series. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the teams have played just once over the past two seasons with UCI claiming a 75-70 decision last season. The Matadors would end an 11-game skid to the Anteaters on March 4, 2020 when Elijah Harkless scored 30 points to lead CSUN to a 72-70 triumph at UCI. CSUN though has not won at home in the series since Feb. 22, 2014.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies (8-7, 1-2 Big West) notched their first Big West win last Saturday against CSU Bakersfield (67-48). UC Davis has gone 4-5 away from home this season, which includes three neutral site victories. Prior to the season, the Aggies were picked to finish sixth in The Big West standings by the conference's head coaches. Jim Les is in his 12th season leading the Aggie program.

Elijah Pepper comes in third in The Big West in points per game (18.7) while he tops the team in rebounds per game (5.9) and assists per game (3.8). Other double digit scorers on the team include Ty Johnson (16.0), Christian Anigwe (12.5) and Robby Beasley III (10.1). As a team, the Aggies are second in conference in scoring offense (76.9) and third in 3-point percentage (35.5).

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
The Anteaters (10-5, 3-0 Big West) improved to a perfect 3-0 in Big West play with wins over UC Davis (88-83) and Long Beach State (87-70) last week. UCI has won six of nine games played away from home this season, which includes an early season win over then-ranked No. 21 Oregon on Nov. 11 (69-56). The team was picked to finish fourth in the league standings prior to the season. Head coach Russell Turner is in his 13th season leading the program.

Dawson Baker and DJ Davis are tied for 10th in The Big West in points per game (14.1). Davis leads the league in 3-point percentage at a 44.3 percent clip. This week's Big West Player of the Week, Bent Leuchten is averaging 10.4 points. Pierre Crockrell II has a Big West-leading assist average of 5.0. The Anteaters top The Big West in points per game (79.1) and 3-point percentage (41.5).

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Matadors Back Home This Week to Host UC Davis and UC Irvine

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Players Mentioned

De'Sean Allen-Eikens

Dionte Bostick

Fidelis Okereke

Atin Wright