Thursday, January 16
Manoa, Hawaii
9:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
at
Hawai'i
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Travels to Hawai'i for Thursday Matchup
1/15/2025 11:48:00 AM | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball hits the road once more this week for a Thursday night meeting at Hawai'i. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan will also call the action in an audio broadcast at GoMatadors.com/Radio.
FOR STARTERS
CSUN (11-6, 3-3 Big West) will play just once this week as it looks to snap a season-high two-game losing streak. The Matadors also look to break a four-game losing streak in Hawai'i. After this week's action, CSUN will return to action at home against Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 23 before returning to the road once more at UC San Diego (Jan. 25) and UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 30) to close the month of January.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN dropped games last week to UC Irvine (77-67) and Cal State Bakersfield (94-90). The Matadors would trail by as many as 21 points against first-place UC Irvine last Thursday at home, but rallied to pull to within five at 63-58 with six minutes to go before the Anteaters took control down the stretch. CSUN shot just 37.5 percent from the floor against UCI as Scotty Washington led the way with a game-high 19 points. At Cal State Bakersfield, the Matadors led 49-34 at halftime and by 23 points with under 16 minutes to play, but the Roadrunners fought all the way back, outscoring CSUN 53-26 the rest of the way behind 45 total points from Jemel Jones. The loss in Bakersfield spoiled a career night for Mahmoud Fofana, who totaled a personal-best 24 points, while Marcus Adams Jr. chipped in with 21 points.
FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Senior forward Keonte Jones has been one of the top performers all season in several categories for CSUN. Jones tops the Matadors in rebounds per game (8.9), assists per game (4.1), steals per game (1.9) and blocks per game (1.7) while he is third on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game on 49.0 percent shooting. In the Big West, Jones is among the conference leaders as well as he ranks first in rebounds, second in blocks, third in both assists and steals, and 13th in points. In addition, his eight double-doubles are eighth-most in the nation entering this week. Over the past two seasons, Jones has accumulated 79 career blocks, which rank fifth-best in school history.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. has made a splash in his first season at CSUN, leading the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Adams has led CSUN in scoring in eight games on the year as he ranks ninth overall in the Big West in points. In addition, Adams is shooting 52.5 percent from the field, which ranks eighth in the Big West, along with 40.0 percent from 3-point range with a team-high 32 made from long range. Speaking of 3-point shooters, junior Scotty Washington is right behind Adams in scoring at 13.3 points per game to go with 27 made threes. Washington is also averaging 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Other top newcomers this season include senior PJ Fuller II who is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game to go with 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. One of three returners this season, senior Mahmoud Fofana has emerged as one of the top scorers on the team, improving his scoring average to 8.4 points on 65.1 percent shooting after scoring in double figures in five of the last six games. Fofana is also tied for second on the team in rebounds per game at 4.9.
CSUN IN THE BIG WEST AND NATIONALLY
The Matadors enter play this week leading the Big West in points per game (81.4), rebounds per game (40.9) and assists per game (16.5). CSUN's focus on the glass has put the team in the top three in other rebounding categories including rebound margin (first, +8.4), defensive rebounds per game (second, 28.6) and offensive rebounds per game (third, 12.3). The Matadors are also second best in the league in opponent field goal percentage (38.6). Nationally, the Matadors remain among the best in Division I basketball in several categories including 15th in both rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game and 18th in both rebound margin and defensive field goal percentage.
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The Bows are 11-5 overall and 3-2 in Big West play after picking three-straight league wins. In last week's action, Hawai'i defeated UC Riverside 83-76 and Cal State Fullerton 95-86 in road victories. At home this season, the Rainbow Warriors have won nine of 12 games. Prior to the season, the Bows were picked to finish seventh in the Big West by the league's head coaches. As a team, Hawai'i is second in the conference in field goal percentage (47.6) as the team averages 74.1 points per game while the Bows are behind CSUN in rebound margin at +8.3. Gytis Nemeiksa tops the team in scoring at 14.6 points while averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Also scoring in double figures is Tanner Christensen at 11.7 points to go with a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. Both Nemeiksa and Kody Wiliams have a team-best 21 made threes this season.
Series History: In a series that dates back to 1960, Hawai'i leads by a 24-9 margin over CSUN. The Bows have won six of the last seven meetings including taking two of three games last season. After CSUN won a home meeting last January, 76-66, Hawai'i won the return meeting in Honolulu 72-70 before knocking out the Matadors of the 2024 Big West Championship by a 75-68 score last March. Overall, CSUN has lost four straight in Hawai'i and seek its first win on the road since March 2, 2019 when the Matadors prevailed 84-73.
#GoMatadors
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NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball hits the road once more this week for a Thursday night meeting at Hawai'i. Tip-off is slated for 9 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan will also call the action in an audio broadcast at GoMatadors.com/Radio.
FOR STARTERS
CSUN (11-6, 3-3 Big West) will play just once this week as it looks to snap a season-high two-game losing streak. The Matadors also look to break a four-game losing streak in Hawai'i. After this week's action, CSUN will return to action at home against Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 23 before returning to the road once more at UC San Diego (Jan. 25) and UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 30) to close the month of January.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN dropped games last week to UC Irvine (77-67) and Cal State Bakersfield (94-90). The Matadors would trail by as many as 21 points against first-place UC Irvine last Thursday at home, but rallied to pull to within five at 63-58 with six minutes to go before the Anteaters took control down the stretch. CSUN shot just 37.5 percent from the floor against UCI as Scotty Washington led the way with a game-high 19 points. At Cal State Bakersfield, the Matadors led 49-34 at halftime and by 23 points with under 16 minutes to play, but the Roadrunners fought all the way back, outscoring CSUN 53-26 the rest of the way behind 45 total points from Jemel Jones. The loss in Bakersfield spoiled a career night for Mahmoud Fofana, who totaled a personal-best 24 points, while Marcus Adams Jr. chipped in with 21 points.
FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
Senior forward Keonte Jones has been one of the top performers all season in several categories for CSUN. Jones tops the Matadors in rebounds per game (8.9), assists per game (4.1), steals per game (1.9) and blocks per game (1.7) while he is third on the team in scoring at 13.2 points per game on 49.0 percent shooting. In the Big West, Jones is among the conference leaders as well as he ranks first in rebounds, second in blocks, third in both assists and steals, and 13th in points. In addition, his eight double-doubles are eighth-most in the nation entering this week. Over the past two seasons, Jones has accumulated 79 career blocks, which rank fifth-best in school history.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. has made a splash in his first season at CSUN, leading the team in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Adams has led CSUN in scoring in eight games on the year as he ranks ninth overall in the Big West in points. In addition, Adams is shooting 52.5 percent from the field, which ranks eighth in the Big West, along with 40.0 percent from 3-point range with a team-high 32 made from long range. Speaking of 3-point shooters, junior Scotty Washington is right behind Adams in scoring at 13.3 points per game to go with 27 made threes. Washington is also averaging 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals. Other top newcomers this season include senior PJ Fuller II who is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game to go with 3.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. One of three returners this season, senior Mahmoud Fofana has emerged as one of the top scorers on the team, improving his scoring average to 8.4 points on 65.1 percent shooting after scoring in double figures in five of the last six games. Fofana is also tied for second on the team in rebounds per game at 4.9.
CSUN IN THE BIG WEST AND NATIONALLY
The Matadors enter play this week leading the Big West in points per game (81.4), rebounds per game (40.9) and assists per game (16.5). CSUN's focus on the glass has put the team in the top three in other rebounding categories including rebound margin (first, +8.4), defensive rebounds per game (second, 28.6) and offensive rebounds per game (third, 12.3). The Matadors are also second best in the league in opponent field goal percentage (38.6). Nationally, the Matadors remain among the best in Division I basketball in several categories including 15th in both rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game and 18th in both rebound margin and defensive field goal percentage.
SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The Bows are 11-5 overall and 3-2 in Big West play after picking three-straight league wins. In last week's action, Hawai'i defeated UC Riverside 83-76 and Cal State Fullerton 95-86 in road victories. At home this season, the Rainbow Warriors have won nine of 12 games. Prior to the season, the Bows were picked to finish seventh in the Big West by the league's head coaches. As a team, Hawai'i is second in the conference in field goal percentage (47.6) as the team averages 74.1 points per game while the Bows are behind CSUN in rebound margin at +8.3. Gytis Nemeiksa tops the team in scoring at 14.6 points while averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Also scoring in double figures is Tanner Christensen at 11.7 points to go with a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. Both Nemeiksa and Kody Wiliams have a team-best 21 made threes this season.
Series History: In a series that dates back to 1960, Hawai'i leads by a 24-9 margin over CSUN. The Bows have won six of the last seven meetings including taking two of three games last season. After CSUN won a home meeting last January, 76-66, Hawai'i won the return meeting in Honolulu 72-70 before knocking out the Matadors of the 2024 Big West Championship by a 75-68 score last March. Overall, CSUN has lost four straight in Hawai'i and seek its first win on the road since March 2, 2019 when the Matadors prevailed 84-73.
#GoMatadors
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