CSUN Returns Home to Face Troy on Sunday

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball returns to Premier America Credit Union Arena for a non-conference matchup with Troy on Sunday at 5 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister have the call on ESPN+.

FOR STARTERS
The Matadors concluded a three-game road trip, going 1-2 in their first time away from home this season. CSUN has posted a 2-2 record on the young season with three more non-conference games upcoming before kicking off Big West play on Dec. 4. After Sunday's meeting with Troy, the Matadors will have a nine-day layoff between games as their next two games will take place in Boise, Idaho at the Holiday Hoops Classic against Idaho (Nov. 26) and Idaho State (Nov. 28).

ABOUT THAT TRIP TO NORTH DAKOTA
The Matadors went 1-1 in their road trip to North Dakota, first defeating the University of North Dakota 93-85 on Sunday before falling to North Dakota State 90-68 on Tuesday.

Behind four scoring in double figures, CSUN earned its first road win of the season at North Dakota. The Matadors led by as many as 15 points in the second half before holding off a rally from the Fighting Hawks. Josiah Davis poured in a team-high 25 points with six assists while Larry Hughes II added 23 points to go with 6-of-7 made threes. Joshua O'Garro posted his second double-double of the year with 16 points and 14 rebounds and Aleks Szymczyk tallied 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting. Overall, CSUN shot 55.0 percent from the field and out-rebounded UND 44-28.

In a tale of two halves, the Matadors led North Dakota State 33-30 at halftime, limiting the Bison to just 21.6 percent shooting. However, it would be all North Dakota State in the second half as CSUN was outscored 60-35 in the final 20 minutes. CSUN shot 42.8 percent in the second half but could not slow the Bison who shot 56.4 percent with seven made threes. Once again, Hughes was the Matadors' top scorer at 18 points while O;Garro added 13 points and Mahmoud Fofana chipped in 12 points.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Senior Larry Hughes II has emerged as the Matadors' leading scorer through four games this season. Hughes is averaging 18.8 points per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor. His shooting from beyond the arc has especially been impressive, as Hughes has made 16-of-31 from long range for a 51.6 percentage. After scoring in double figures in 15 of 65 career games at Saint Louis, Hughes has reached double figures in all four games this season, highlighted by a career-high 23 points against North Dakota.

NEW FACES CONTRIBUTING RIGHT AWAY
The new look Matadors have turned to a number of new faces to shoulder the load in the early going this season. The team's top three scorers are all newcomers with Larry Hughes II leading the way at 18.8 points per game. Behind Hughes, senior Joshua O'Garro is nearly averaging a double-double, posting 13.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while senior Josiah Davis is registering 11.8 points and 5.8 assists as the team's starting point guard. Off the bench, junior Aleks Szymczyk has been a presence in the middle, averaging 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds over 16.5 minutes per game.

SCOUTING TROY
The Trojans (3-1) suffered their first loss of the season on Friday at LMU (74-63). The team has notable wins on the year over Kent State (103-97) and Furman (64-61). A season ago, the Trojans finished 23-11 overall as they won the Sun Belt Conference championship and played in the NCAA Tournament. The team was picked to finish fourth in the league prior to the season. Cooper Campbell tops the Trojans in scoring at 16.5 points on 61.1 percent shooting while Thomas Dowd, a preseason All-Sun Belt selection, is posting 13.8 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds per game. As a team, Troy has averaged 87.8 points per game on 48.6 percent shooting and 38.3 3-point shooting.

Series History: CSUN and Troy will play for the first-ever time in men's basketball on Sunday.

#GoMatadors

CSUN Returns Home to Face Troy on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Josiah Davis

Mahmoud Fofana

Larry Hughes II

Joshua O'Garro

Aleks Szymczyk