CSUN Wins Thriller with Fresno State on Davis' Game Winner

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Josiah Davis sank a go-ahead three with two seconds remaining to lift CSUN Men's Basketball to a thrilling 89-87 victory over Fresno State on Wednesday at Premier America Credit Union Arena. Larry Hughes II scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting while Joshua O'Garro added 23 points and 11 rebounds. Davis added 11 points and eight assists and Davius Loury scored a season-high 13 in the Matador victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN led by as many as 18 points on the night only to see Fresno State roar back to take a lead late in the contest. The Bulldogs pulled ahead on a layup from Jake Heidbreder with 26 seconds to play for an 87-86 lead. CSUN attempted to take the lead once more on its next time down the floor, but a turnover from Davis gave the Bulldogs the ball right back. A Matador foul sent Zaon Collins to the line before a missed free throw on a one-and-one gave CSUN one last chance at the basket. In the final seconds, the Matadors ran play where O'Garro set up Davis with a pass straight away and beyond the arc. Davis would calmly drill the three-pointer with two seconds to play, sending the Matador faithful into a frenzy. The Bulldogs had a last second look at the hoop, but Davis blocked a potential game-winner from Collins as time expired.

Earlier in the game, Fresno State made five threes to jump out to a 15-10 lead at the 14:59 mark in the first half. The Matadors remained steady, eventually surging ahead with a 10-4 run to take a 20-19 edge. The game remained tight until the Matadors went on a 16-2 run. During the stretch, Hughes scored seven straight points and O'Garro followed a Matador basket with a steal off the entry pass for a layup, forcing a Bulldogs timeout. Mahmoud Fofana scored a pair from the free throw line at the 3:21 mark, giving CSUN its biggest lead of the night at 45-27. Fresno State would bounce back with a 10-0 run shortly before halftime, but O'Garro scored the final shot of the period to make it a 47-37 game at the break.

Out of intermission, the Bulldogs came out aggressively, making five of their first seven attempts to pull to within 51-49. Heidbreder later scored off a Matador turnover to even the game up at 59-59 with 13:10 to go. CSUN remained in front, extending to a 74-68 lead after a James Evans Jr. three, but the Bulldogs would not go away quietly. Fresno State reclaimed the lead at 81-80 briefly before Hughes made a pair at the free throw line to give CSUN the lead again. The final minutes saw three more lead changes including two clutch shots from Hughes before Fresno State pulled ahead late, setting up the heroics from Davis.

NOTES OF THE GAME

CSUN improves to 5-5 overall while Fresno State slips to 6-5.
The Matadors finished with a 55.0 field goal percentage while making 10-of-25 threes (40.0 percent) and 13-of-14 free throws (92.9 percent). In contrast, the Bulldogs shot an even 50.0 percent overall while making 13-of-29 threes (44.8 percent) and 14-of-16 free throws (87.5 percent).
CSUN held a 31-27 edge in rebounds. The Matadors also led 36-32 in points in the paint.
Davis' three was his first make of the season.
O'Garro's 23 points tied a career high while his double-double was his fifth of the season.
Hughes' 10 field goals made also set a new career high.
CSUN remains unbeaten at home at 4-0.

ACCORDING TO COACH ANDY NEWMAN
"It was just guys making plays. We drew up a play for Josh to get down hill, spread the floor and just make the right play, and whoever was open, step up and get it. The way they guarded it just happened that Josiah was wide open. He stepped up and made the shot. It was just great team play down the stretch. Honestly, whether the shot goes in or not, I loved how we executed down the stretch and we got a high percentage shot."

UP NEXT
CSUN will make the trip across the country to Delaware for a Saturday matchup at 10 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan will have the call in an audio broadcast at GoMatadors.com/Radio and the Varsity app.

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CSUN Wins Thriller with Fresno State on Davis' Game Winner

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Team Stats

Larry Hughes II

Joshua O'Garro

Davius Loury

Josiah Davis

Players Mentioned

Josiah Davis

James Evans Jr.

Mahmoud Fofana

Larry Hughes II

Davius Loury

Joshua O'Garro