Matadors Set to Host Spartans in Saturday Matchup

Saturday, December 13

Northridge, Calif

2:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

San José State

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Photo by: Bella A Enriquez

Matadors Set to Host Spartans in Saturday Matchup

12/12/2025 12:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif --- The CSUN women's basketball team (4-4, 1-1 Big West) is set to take on the San Jose State Spartans (1-8) Saturday afternoon at Premier America Credit Union Arena. Tip off is slated for 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Jill Painter-Lopez and Graham Metzker on the call.

LAST TIME OUT
CSUN went 1-1 last week to open Big West play. The first game was on December 4 when the Matadors took down Cal State Bakersfield, 59-57 away from Northridge. A late stage layup from Saray White with five seconds left lifted the Matadors past the Roadrunners in a road thriller. White led the team with 13 points, while Amya Moody added 12 of her own while Rita Nazario added 11. White also contributed seven rebounds. CSUN won its Big West opening game for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

In the second game of the week, a December 6 contest against UC Irvine, CSUN fell to the Anteaters, 72-46 in its Big West home opener. CSUN opened the game with confidence, taking a 7–2 lead behind early baskets from Jite Gbemuotor and Mariona Cos Morales. UC Irvine, however, responded with a 14-2 run to close the first quarter and it never relinquished the lead the rest of the night. White led the team with 10 points and Nazario added nine in the defeat.

NAZARIO HAS MADE A STATEMENT
Entering this year, 5'5 guard Rita Nazario came over to the Matadors after playing previously at Saint Louis. Since becoming a Matador, she has left her mark all over this season and has become CSUN's most reliable scorer through eight games. She is currently leading the team in points per game at 13.5. She has the most three-pointers on the squad with 26 made. She is shooting 44% from the field and 44% from three. The Portugal native also leads the team in minutes per game at 27. Nazario is also 10th in the nation at three-pointers per game at 3.2.

THE RESERVES GETTING IT DONE
CSUN has had a balanced scoring attack from its whole team all season long. The Matadors are sixth in the nation in bench points per game at 35.4 points per contest. The two best bench performing games were against Bethesda on November 4 and Life Pacific on November 26. In the game against Bethesda, CSUN had 67 points scored from the non-starters. Against Life Pacific, 60 of the Matadors record setting 106 points came off the bench.

HI, I'M NEW HERE
A total of 10 newcomers make up this season's roster, that's 67 percent of the team. Of the 10 newcomers, six are transfers. In an interview with the Big West during the conference preview on Oct. 17, coach Ned emphasized using the transfer portal to build pieces for a winning program in the offseason.

Using the portal is something that every team does in the new age of college sports, and CSUN has taken advantage of it. The transfers include Jite Gbemuotor (Ole Miss), Maya Contreras (New Mexico Junior College), Mariona Cos-Morales (Rider University), Rita Nazario (Saint Louis), Nadia Bernard (Saint Mary's) and Saray White (Cosumnes River College). To join the transfers on the squad are four freshmen: Amya Moody, Norret Lewis, Heather Stedman and Jana Canadell.

SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE
The Spartans started the season on an eight game losing streak before finally getting their first win against Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday night. The Spartans are averaging 57.1 points per contest while allowing 70.6 PPG on the defensive end. Maya Anderson leads the team with 11.1 points per game and their second best scorer is Rylei Waugh at 9.9 points per game. Anderson also leads the team in field goals made at 37. Anderson also recorded her first career double-double in the win against the Otters.

The Spartans are currently 0-6 on the road and will be hungry to get their first win away from home. SJSU has a new head coach, Jonas Chatterton who most recently served as associate head coach at the University of Oklahoma.

SERIES HISTORY
CSUN is 6-11 all time against the Spartans, including a 62-44 loss last season away from Northridge. The Spartans currently carry a three game win streak with CSUN's last win coming in 2019.