CSUN Returns to the Road for Wednesday Clash with UC Davis

FULL GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball (6-19, 3-11 Big West) opens a busy 11-day stretch of action when the Matadors visit UC Davis on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister have the call at GoMatadors.com/Radio starting at 5:50 p.m.

Over an 11-day stretch, the Matadors will play five times, three of which on the road. After a matchup with UC Davis, CSUN heads to La Jolla to take on UC San Diego on Saturday. The Matadors then return home to host UC Riverside on Monday and CSU Bakersfield on Thursday. The stretch finally concludes next Saturday, Feb. 25 when CSUN visits Long Beach State.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN went 1-1 last week, falling on the road at CSU Bakersfield last Thursday 73-58 before bouncing back with a come-from-behind 64-53 victory over Cal Poly at Premier America Credit Union Arena on Saturday afternoon.

At CSU Bakersfield, the Roadrunners rode a hot shooting first half (60.0 percent) to post a 43-24 lead over CSUN at halftime. The Matadors would outscore CSUB 34-30 in the second half but it was not enough to close the gap. De'Sean Allen-Eikens scored a team-high 14 points while Ethan Igbanugo chipped in with 10 points.

The Matadors would dig another double-digit deficit against Cal Poly but CSUN would flip the script this time, erasing a 16-point deficit with less than 13 minutes to play. The Matadors held the Mustangs to just three made field goals for the rest of the way meanwhile CSUN went on a 36-9 run to close the game. Atin Wright scored 14 of his 22 points in the second half including hitting a key three to break a 51-51 tie with 1:39 remaining.

Allen-Eikens and Onyi Eyisi had 14 and 10 points, respectively, in the win over Cal Poly.

MATADOR HEADLINES
The Matadors' comeback win over the Mustangs represented CSUN's first double-digit win over a conference opponent this season. The team's last double-digit victory in league play took place on Jan. 8, 2022 when CSUN also defeated Cal Poly, 68-55.

After starting out 0-8 in league play, CSUN has gone 3-3 over the last six games, posting three of four wins at Premier America Credit Union Arena. The victory over the Mustangs also evened CSUN's home record to 6-6 on the year.

Onyi Eyisi's 10 points on Saturday was a season high for the senior. Eyisi, a fifth-year center, missed six consecutive games last month due to injury while he has missed eight total games this season. His 27 minutes on Saturday were a season high as he had only played 10 total minutes since returning from the sidelines on Feb. 4. Eyisi also had six rebounds, one block and one steal to go with 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Last season, Eyisi started 22 of 27 games at center and averaged 9.5 points.

Atin Wright enters the week eighth in The Big West in scoring at 14.9 points per game while he is tops in the league in free throw percentage (89.6), seventh in 3-point field goals made per game (1.9) and ninth in steals per game (1.3). Dionte Bostick, who has missed the last four games, is ninth in The Big West in assists per game (2.7) and 14th in points per game (12.4). On the glass, De'Sean Allen-Eikens is 17th in the conference in rebounds per game (5.3) followed by Fidelis Okereke in 18th place (5.2).

SERIES HISTORY
UC Davis extended its lead over CSUN in the all-time series to 28-21 with a 62-54 victory on Jan. 11 in Northridge. The Matadors led by eight points near the midway point of the second half when the teams met up last month but the Aggies closed the game on a 26-10 run to take the contest. UC Davis has won the last four meetings. The Matadors have not won at UC Davis since March 5, 2009, as the Aggies hold a 12-game home winning streak in the series.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies (14-11, 7-6) are currently seventh in The Big West standings but the team is just 1.5 games back of third place entering play this week. In last week's action, UC Davis dropped road games to UC Riverside (72-65) and UC Santa Barbara (84-74). The Aggies have gone 7-3 at the University Credit Union Center this season including posting a 4-2 record against league opponents. Head coach Jim Les is in his 12th season leading UC Davis.

Elijah Pepper, The Big West leader in scoring, is 11th in the nation in points per game (21.3) to go with his 5.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Ty Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 15.6 followed by Christian Anigwe at 11.6. Anigwe also leads the conference in blocks per game (1.3). UC Davis is third in The Big West in scoring average (75.1) while the Aggies are 19th in the nation in free throws made per game (16.4).

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CSUN Returns to the Road for Wednesday Clash with UC Davis

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Players Mentioned

De'Sean Allen-Eikens

Dionte Bostick

Onyi Eyisi

Ethan Igbanugo

Fidelis Okereke

Atin Wright