CSUN Heads to Montana for Stew Morrill Classic

GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball hits the road for a Thanksgiving week trip to Montana as the Matadors take part in the four-team Stew Morrill Classic, hosted by the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont.

The trip begins on Sunday afternoon when CSUN faces Utah Tech with a 1 p.m. tip (2 p.m. MT). CSUN will take on Denver on Monday at 1 p.m. (2 p.m. MT) before closing its stay in Missoula with a matchup against Montana on Wednesday at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. PT). All three games of the Stew Morrill Classic will be broadcast on ESPN+ while Ghizal Hasan has the call in audio broadcasts at GoMatadors.com/Radio.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN concludes the month of November on the road and in Montana over the next week. After competing at the Stew Morrill Classic, the Matadors conclude their trip on Saturday night at defending Big Sky champion Montana State. CSUN will open up December at home with the start of Big West play during Bold Week where the Matadors host UC Riverside on Dec. 5 and visit Cal Poly on Dec. 7 in conference contests.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN won in come-from-behind fashion for its third-straight win on Nov. 16 at Sacramento State with a 79-69 triumph. The Matadors trailed by as many as 16 points as well as by 15 points in the second half before completing a furious rally. CSUN outscored Sacramento State 47-25 in the second half and ended the game on a 15-2 run. Scotty Washington led the team with a career-high 27 points, highlighted by a late four-point play. Keonte Jones added 20 points to go with six rebounds and four assists while Mahmoud Fofana chipped in with 10 rebounds and seven points.

CSUN most recently came from behind by 16 points in Feb. 2023 against Cal Poly. Prior to that comeback, the Matadors' next largest come-from-behind victory was a 23-point rally against Hawai'i in Feb. 2021.

SCOTTY'S HOT START
Junior newcomers Scotty Washington has topped the Matadors in scoring through four games, averaging 15.8 points on 47.4 percent shooting. Washington posted a career-high 27 points at Sacramento State on Nov. 16, surpassing a 26-point effort he had with California Baptist last season. Washington also registered 21 points in a victory at Le Moyne on Nov. 6. On the year, Washington has made 8-of-20 from 3-point range (40.0 percent) while averaging 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He is currently ranked seventh in the Big West in 3-point percentage and eighth in scoring average.

KEONTE FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Senior forward Keonte Jones enters play this weekend leading the Matadors and ranking third in the Big West in rebounds per game at 9.0. Jones has also scored in double figures in all four games this season, averaging 14.8 points while he has registered two double-doubles. He is also shooting the ball at a 60.0 percent clip from the field (18-of-30) and at 84.0 percent from the free throw line (21-of-25). In addition to his rebounding, Jones also tops CSUN in assists (18), steals (8) and blocks (5).

ADAMS BRINGS PUNCH OFF THE BENCH
After playing just one game last season at BYU, sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. has quickly solidified himself as one of the top scorers in the Matador lineup through four games. Adams has come off the bench over the past three games, scoring in double figures in two of those contests. On the season, Adams is averaging 11.5 points on 51.4 percent shooting while he is averaging 4.5 rebounds per game. Adams scored a career-high 21 points in a road win at Le Moyne on Nov. 6 while he had a 15-point effort against Nobel University on Nov. 13.

WELCOME BACK, JORDAN!
CSUN welcomed back to the lineup senior guard Jordan Brinson on Nov. 16 at Sacramento State. Brinson registered two points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of action against the Hornets as it was his first appearance since Dec. 30, 2023. He had missed the Matadors' last 20 games of the 2023-24 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury as well as the Matadors' first three games this season. Prior to his injury, Brinson served as the Matadors' starting point guard last season and played in 12 games, averaging 8.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

SCOUTING UTAH TECH
The Trailblazers are 1-3 on the season with their lone win coming against Bethesda (90-59) on Nov. 13. Utah Tech finished 11-20 last season with a 7-13 record in the WAC. Prior to this season, Utah Tech was selected to finish eighth in the WAC. Noa Gonsalves, who topped the team in scoring last season, sports a team-high 14.0 points per game on the year. Other top scorers include Beon Riley at 13.0 points and Tennessee Rainwater at 11.0 points. Riley also tops the Trailblazers in rebounding average at 7.5 per game. As a team, Utah Tech is averaging 69.8 points while the team turns it over just 10.0 per game.

Series History: CSUN has played Utah Tech in each of the last three seasons, holding a 2-1 all-time record. The Matadors picked up an 80-75 victory over the Trailblazers at Premier America Credit Union Arena last December. All three meetings in the series have been decided by six points or fewer.

SCOUTING DENVER
The Pioneers are 3-2 on the season and winners of two straight, defeating Colorado Christian (86-63) and Montana State (79-78) most recently. Prior to taking on CSUN, Denver faces Montana on Sunday. A season ago, Denver went 17-17 overall and 6-10 in the Summit League as the team played in the league title game. The team was picked to finish ninth in the Summit League this season. DeAndre Craig, a Preseason All-Summit League selection, tops the team in scoring at 12.2 per game to go with 4.0 assists and 3.2 rebounds. Nicholas Shogbonyo is the team's leading rebounder at 4.8 per game while he averages 11.2 points. Isaiah Addo-Ankrah is Denver's other double-digit scorer at 10.6 points. As a team, Denver scores at a 77.8 point clip and shoots 37.0 percent from three.

Series History: Denver leads CSUN 2-1 in the all-time series, but the teams have not played since Dec. 4, 2010 when the Pioneers picked up a 66-63 win at home. The Matadors' only win in the series was a home 80-53 win in 2008.

SCOUTING MONTANA
Montana comes in at 2-3 on the season after dropping recent games to Utah State (95-83) and Tennessee (92-57). The Grizzlies are 2-0 on the season on their home floor. A season ago, Montana went 25-11 overall and 12-6 in the Big Sky as the team played in the conference tournament title game and eventually the College Basketball Invitational. The Griz were picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big Sky this season. Money Williams leads the team in scoring at 15.4 points followed by Kai Johnson at 12.0 points and Joe Pridgen at 11.4 points. Jensen Bradtke, a St. Mary's transfer, scored 17 points in his season debut at Utah State. As a team, Montana scores at 74.8 points per game and averages 35.6 rebounds.

Series History: Montana holds an 11-7 edge over CSUN in the head-to-head series. Overall, the Grizzlies have won the past two meetings with their most recent win occurring on Dec. 3, 2017 in an 86-68 home victory. Prior to that game, the teams had not played since 2004. CSUN's last win in the series was a 72-63 win in 2003.

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CSUN Heads to Montana for Stew Morrill Classic

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Adams Jr.

Jordan Brinson

Mahmoud Fofana

Keonte Jones

Scotty Washington