CSUN Continues Road Trip in North Dakota

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball continues it early season road trip this weekend as the Matadors face North Dakota on Sunday at 11 a.m PT and North Dakota State on Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT. Both games will be broadcast on the Summit League Network while Ghizal Hasan will be on the call in an audio broadcast at GoMatadors.com/Radio and the Varsity app.

FOR STARTERS
After playing their first road game of the season at Northern Iowa on Thursday, the Matadors head to North Dakota, continuing a road heavy stretch in the early portion of the season. The games at North Dakota and North Dakota State are a part of a stretch where CSUN plays five of six on the away from home with each road game in a different time zone. After their trip to North Dakota, CSUN will return home to meet Troy at Premier America Credit Union Arena on Nov. 16 before heading back on the road for a Thanksgiving week trip to Boise to compete at the Holiday Hoops Classic with games set against Idaho on Nov. 26 and Idaho State on Nov. 28.

LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday night at Northern Iowa by an 86-57 score. CSUN struggled from the field, shooting 32.7 percent overall while the Matadors were turned over 20 times. The Panthers converted on 27 points off those turnovers and hit 14 total threes in the game. UNI would turn the game around with a 21-0 run early in the first half and lead by as many as 34 points down the stretch.

LARRY'S CAREER NIGHT
Senior guard Larry Hughes II was one of the few bright spots for the Matadors in Thursday's loss to UNI. Hughes poured in a career-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, surpassing his previous high of 17 points scored as a member of Saint Louis University in 2024. He would also make 4-of-8 from 3-point range in the ballgame over 29 minutes of action. Hughes has averaged 17.0 points through CSUN's first two games with an even 50.0 field goal percentage (13-of-26) and 43.8 three-point percentage (7-of-16).

SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
The Fighting Hawks are 0-2 to start the season, falling at No. 15 Alabama 91-62 on opening night and to UC Riverside 74-70 last Thursday. A season ago, UND had a 12-21 overall record and a 5-11 mark in the Summit League while the team was picked to finish eighth in the league this season prior to the year. Through two games, Anthony Smith III leads UND in scoring at 12.5 points per game while Eli King, a Preseason All-Summit League selection, is right behind at 11.5 points per game to go with averaging 5.0 rebounds.

Series History: CSUN and North Dakota will play for the first-ever time in men's basketball.

SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE
The Bison hold a 0-2 record in the early going this season with road losses to Oregon State (67-65) and UC Davis (80-68). NDSU is coming off a 21-11 overall record and 10-6 Summit League mark last season. After the Bison were fourth in the Summit last season, the team was picked to finish fourth again in the preseason poll. Markhi Strickland, a Preseason All-Summit League honoree, tops the Bison in scoring at 17.0 points per game on 60.9 percent shooting. Noah Fedderson, another preseason all-conference player, is averaging 6.5 points and 4.0 rebounds thus far. Last season, NDSU ranked third in the nation in 3-point percentage (39.8).

Series History: The Matadors are seeking their first win over the Bison, going 0-2 in the all-time series. The teams last played in Fargo in Dec. 2021 with North Dakota State coming out on top 68-54.

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CSUN Continues Road Trip in North Dakota

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Players Mentioned

Larry Hughes II