CSUN Takes on CSUB and UC Irvine to Open Big West Play

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball opens the Big West schedule this week. The conference opener is set for Thursday when the Matadors host Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m. The week concludes with a road test at preseason favorite UC Irvine on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister are on the call at GoMatadors.com/Radio at the Varsity app.

FOR STARTERS
The Matadors kick off the Big West's 20-game league schedule during Bold Week, an initiative that began last season with two league games contested early in the year. CSUN resumes non-conference play after this week with five more games on the December schedule. The Matadors host Fresno State on Wednesday, Dec. 10 before returning to the road to take on Delaware next Saturday, Dec. 13. The rest of the non-conference schedule includes home games with La Sierra (Dec. 19) and Sacramento State (Dec. 22) and a road matchup at Stanford (Dec. 27). The Big West schedule will then restart on Jan. 1 at UC Davis.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN endured a pair of double-digit losses at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Boise, Idaho. The Matadors fell to Idaho 78-64 on Nov. 26 before suffering an 82-50 defeat to Idaho State on Nov. 28.

In the opener with Idaho, the Matadors played to 37-37 tie at halftime before the Vandals turned the game around in the second half, outscoring the Matadors 41-27. CSUN struggled to just 36.1 percent shooting for the game. Larry Hughes II shook off foul trouble to score a team-high 17 points and Josiah Davis added 16 points and five assists in the 78-64 loss.

The Matadors shot a season-low 20.3 percent and scored a season-low 50 points in the loss to Idaho State. After an even start to the game, Idaho State outscored CSUN 34-11 over the last 14 minutes of the first half as the Matadors went without a field goal for 12 minutes. In defeat, Jai Chisolm was a bright spot for CSUN, scoring a season-high 15 points, all of which in the second half.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Senior Larry Hughes II has been the Matadors' top scorer through the early portion of the season. A Saint Louis transfer, Hughes currently ranks seventh in the Big West in scoring at a career-best mark of 16.3 points per game. Hughes has also shot at an effective rate from 3-point range, posting a 46.0 percentage from downtown, good enough for fourth place in the Big West. He also tops the conference at 3.3 field goals made from beyond the 3-point arc. After scoring in double figures in 15 of 65 career games before joining CSUN, Hughes has reached double figures in six of seven games including 20 or more points in twice.

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Matador newcomers Joshua O'Garro and Josiah Davis both top the Big West in rebounding and assists, respectively, entering conference play. O'Garro has averaged a league leading 9.9 rebounds per game, while scoring 12.9 points per game in his first season with CSUN. On the assist front, Davis has assumed point guard duties and excelled, averaging a conference-best 5.3 assists per game. The duo is also among the top-10 in the conference in minutes per game with Davis in third place (32.3) and O'Garro in sixth place (30.9).

QUICK HITS
Joshua O'Garro, who is nearly averaging a double-double on the year (12.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG), is the Big West leader with four double-doubles in seven games. Prior to joining CSUN at the start of the year, O'Garro had recorded four doubles-doubles total in his previous four years playing at the Division I level ... In addition to leading CSUN in assists per game (5.3), senior point guard Josiah Davis is third on the team in scoring at 12.4 per game. Davis is also averaging 4.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth best on the team ... Top scorer Larry Hughes II has already swished a team-high 23 from 3-point range this season. Hughes has also been exceptional at the free throw line, draining 17-of-21 attempts for an 81.0 percent clip ... A Preseason All-Big West selection, Mahmoud Fofana is off to a strong start on the rebounding front this season, averaging 7.4 per game to rank fourth in the Big West. Fofana is also fourth on the team in scoring at 8.6 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting ... Aleks Szymczyk, a transfer from UNC Charlotte, leads the Matadors in field goal percentage at 59.4 to go with scoring 7.4 points in just 15.0 minutes per game. Szymczyk also checks in at third place on the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game.

SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners are an even 4-4 on the season after knocking off Fresno State last Sunday. The team has played five of its eight games away from Bakersfield while going 1-4 on the year. As a team, CSUB is averaging 72.3 points and giving up 76.4 per game. The 'Runners are also second in the Big West in blocks per game at 5.6. Dailin Smith ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.4 points per game followed by CJ Hardy at 14.4 and Ronald Jessamy at 10.8. On the glass, Jessamy is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game to lead the squad.

Series History: Bakersfield leads CSUN by a slim 29-27 margin in the all-time series. Since joining the Big West, CSUB has gone 6-5 against CSUN. The teams split the season series last year with each team holding serve at home. The Matadors came out on top 88-62 at Premier America Credit Union Arena.

SCOUTING UC IRVINE
The Anteaters are 5-4 on the season and winners of two in a row after knocking off South Dakota State 64-52 and San Jose State 72-63. Prior to the two wins, UCI had dropped three straight. The team was picked to finish first in the Big West in the preseason coaches' poll. A perennial defensive power, UCI is fourth in the nation in defensive field goal percentage (35.2) while the team is 18th in scoring defense (63.6). On the offensive side, the Anteaters average 79.7 points. Jurian Dixon leads the Anteaters and ranks ninth in the Big West in scoring at 15.9 points per game, followed closely by Derin Saran at 15.0 points. Kyle Evans is one of the top shot blockers in the nation, currently ranking second overall with 27 rejections.

Series History: UCI leads CSUN 45-26 in the all-time series with wins in six of the last seven meetings. However, CSUN took the last meeting at the Bren Events Center in an 84-72 victory last February.

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CSUN Takes on CSUB and UC Irvine to Open Big West Play

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Players Mentioned

Jai Chisolm

Josiah Davis

Mahmoud Fofana

Larry Hughes II

Joshua O'Garro

Aleks Szymczyk