CSUN Wraps Up Non-Conference Play Hosting La Sierra on Saturday

GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball wraps up the 2024 calendar year with its final non-conference game, hosting La Sierra on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. Jill Painter Lopez and Alan Zinsmeister have the call on ESPN+. Fans receive free admission to the game.

FOR STARTERS
The Matadors (8-4, 1-1 Big West) end the non-conference portion of their schedule on Saturday as the remaining 2024-25 regular slate features 18 total Big West games. CSUN resumes conference play on Jan. 2 at Cal State Fullerton before hosting UC Davis on Jan. 4 to open the new year. Earlier in December, the Matadors opened Big West play by splitting their first two league games. CSUN dropped its Big West opener at home to UC Riverside (68-64) but bounced back with a high-scoring 101-92 road victory at Cal Poly.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN got back on the winning track with an 81-57 victory over Chicago State last Saturday at Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Matadors posted their fourth come-from-behind win in the second half this season, erasing a 25-22 lead at the break and eventually outscoring the Cougars 59-32 in the final stanza. Junior Scotty Washington had a team-high 19 points while he went 10-of-10 at the free throw line. Senior Mahmoud Fofana produced a Matador career high in points with 17 on the night while sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. had 11 points and junior Jalen Barbee recorded a season-high 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting off the bench. The Matadors shared the wealth in the game, producing 21 assists as seniors PJ Fuller II and Jordan Brinson had eight and six assists, respectively.

CSUN'S CALLING CARD
Much like last season, CSUN's success on the court this season has relied on its defense and rebounding. The Matadors' defensive field goal percentage remains tops in the Big West on the year, producing a 37.8 percentage, while CSUN tops the league in rebounds per game (41.1) and ranks second in rebound margin (+8.1) and defensive rebounds per game (28.9). In addition, CSUN is second in the conference in steals per game (8.4) and blocks per game (3.7). Nationally, the Matadors are ranked 11th in Division I basketball in defensive field goal percentage, 16th in defensive rebounds per game and 25th in overall rebounds per game.

On the offensive side, the Matadors have been strong as well this season, scoring at 80.9 points per game to rank second-best in the Big West while their 16.3 assists per game are a league leader.

KEONTE FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Senior Keonte Jones remains the Matador leader in a host of categories this season including points per game (14.3), rebounds per game (8.5), assists per game (3.9), blocks per game (1.9) and steals per game (1.8). His amazing start to the season has put him among the league leaders in the Big West in many of the same categories as he is the Big West leader in blocks and rebounds while he is ranked third in assists and fifth in steals. In addition, Jones has a team-high six double-doubles on the season, which ranks eighth highest in the nation.

ADAMS OFF THE BENCH
A sophomore transfer from BYU, Marcus Adams Jr. has made quite the splash in his first season with CSUN. Coming off the bench over the past 11 games, Adams has gone on to lead the team in scoring in six of those contests. On the season, Adams is second in scoring average at 13.9 on 51.5 percent shooting while he is second in rebounds per game (5.0). Adams has also converted on the second-most threes on the team with 18 on 36.7 percent and shares the team lead with Scotty Washington with three 20-point performances on the year.

NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT
Among the array of many new faces on the roster this season, junior Scotty Washington has been one of the most steady contributors this season. Washington tops the Matadors in 3-point field goals made with 19 on 35.2 percent shooting to go with scoring 13.7 points per game. Along with three 20-point performances, Washington has led the Matadors in scoring in four games on the year. Senior PJ Fuller II has also been a big pickup in the offseason as he is second on the team in assists (3.5) and fourth in scoring (9.6). Another top newcomer, junior Grady Lewis has helped manage the paint and gone on to lead CSUN in field goal percentage (63.5) to go with scoring 6.5 points per game.

SCOUTING LA SIERRA
The Golden Eagles (0-15) seek their first win of the season when they face CSUN on Saturday. On the year, La Sierra has played four Division I teams, all of which Big West squads, including UC Riverside (79-51), Cal State Fullerton (61-55), Cal State Bakersfield (96-47) and Long Beach State (83-57). As a team, the Golden Eagles are scoring 59.1 points per game while the team yields 81.1 points per game. Alex Archer leads La Sierra in scoring at 9.3 points followed by Maur Tablada at 8.5 points per game. Archer also paces the Golden Eagles in rebounding, pulling down 4.5 per game

Series History: CSUN holds a 2-0 edge over La Sierra in the all-time series. The teams last played on Nov. 7, 2022 with the Matadors coming out on top 90-55 at Premier America Credit Union Arena.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Wraps Up Non-Conference Play Hosting La Sierra on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Adams Jr.

Jalen Barbee

Jordan Brinson

Mahmoud Fofana

PJ Fuller II

Keonte Jones

Grady Lewis

Scotty Washington