Thursday, February 27
Northridge, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
vs
UC San Diego
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Returns Home to Face UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara This Week
2/26/2025 11:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball
GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball returns to Premier America Credit Union Arena this week for two big tests. The Matadors square off with Big West-leading UC San Diego on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. before facing UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio broadcasts also available at GoMatadors.com/Radio with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call.
FOR STARTERS
Winners of seven in a row, the Matadors (20-7, 12-4 Big West) are in third place in the Big West standings but just two games back of first place UC San Diego (14-2) and one game back of second place UC Irvine. UC Riverside (11-6) is just two games back for third while UC Santa Barbara (10-7) is three games back. The rest of the top eight in the Big West includes UC Davis (9-8), Hawai'i (6-10) and Cal State Bakersfield (6-11). The top two seeds in the Big West would earn a double bye into the Big West Championship semifinal round while finishing third or fourth would earn a single bye to the quarterfinal round. The Big West Championship begins in two weeks on March 12 in Henderson, Nev.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN picked up a pair of impressive road victories last week, defeating UC Irvine 84-72 and UC Davis 65-62. In both games, CSUN trailed in the second half and staged big runs down the stretch to reach 20 wins on the season. The Matadors stretched their win streak to seven, tying a school Division I record.
Marcus Adams Jr. led the way against UC Irvine last Thursday with 24 points while Scotty Washington added 14 points and both Tyler Beard and Judson Martindale chipped in 10 points apiece. The Matadors outscored the Anteaters 50-35 in the second half including 27-11 to close the game. CSUN's win was its first victory over UC Irvine since 2020 and it clinched its first winning conference record since the 2008-09 season.
The Matadors needed a late rally to knock off UC Davis last Saturday. CSUN outscored UC Davis 19-4 to end the game, erasing a 12-point deficit. Senior Mahmoud Fofana topped CSUN with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Adams had 19 points and Washington finished with 14 points. Washington made the go-ahead shot with under three minutes to play that gave CSUN the lead for good. The Matadors secured their first win at UC Davis and first regular season sweep of the Aggies since the 2008-09 season.
ADAMS NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. collected his second Big West Player of the Week award on Feb. 24 after averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the Matadors' two road wins at UC Irvine and UC Davis. Adams shot 55.6 percent overall and 40.0 percent from 3-point range in the victories. He scored 20 of his 24 points against UC Irvine in the second half including a big dunk in the final minute to seal a win. Adams would also have 19 points against UC Davis, hitting a key three late. CSUN players have won four total Big West Player of the Week awards with Adams winning two and Scotty Washington winning two.
TOP MATADOR PERFORMERS
Marcus Adams Jr., a transfer from BYU, comes into the week averaging a team-high 16.3 points, good enough for eighth-best in the Big West. Adams is also shooting 53.4 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from three to go with 4.9 rebounds per game. Another transfer this season, Scotty Washington is 10th in the Big West in scoring at 14.8 points along with fifth in free throw percentage (86.9). From three, Adams is leading CSUN with 53 made and Washington is second with 47. Senior Keonte Jones still ranks first in the Big West in rebounds per game (9.3) while he is second in assists per game (4.3) and blocks per game (1.4) and fourth in steals per game (1.9). Jones is 14th in the nation with 12 double-doubles on the season as he is averaging 12.7 points.
CSUN IN THE BIG WEST AND NATIONALLY
The Matadors remain the Big West leader in multiple rebound categories including overall rebounds per game (40.6), rebound margin (+9.3) and offensive rebounds per game (13.1). The team also shares the Big West lead in points per game, averaging 80.5 while CSUN is first in assists per game (16.7). The Matadors are holding steady in second place in defensive field goal percentage (40.0) and steals per game (8.1). Nationally, CSUN has moved up to fifth in rebound margin, 10th in rebounds per game and 14th in turnovers forced per game (15.6).
FASTEST TO 20 WINS SINCE...
CSUN has reached 20 wins for just the fourth time in its Division I history and for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Matadors have also reached 20 wins the fastest in their entire D-1 history. The team last reached 20 wins over 27 games in the 1978-79 season when the program played at the Division II level. The Matadors are just two wins away from tying their school record for wins and three wins away from setting a new CSUN win benchmark.
SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
The Tritons (24-4, 14-2 Big West) have won nine consecutive games and come in receiving votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 rankings. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, a candidate for Big West Player of the Year, is third in the Big West in scoring at 19.8 points while he is second in the nation in free throws made (187). Tyler McGhie tops the Big West in 3-point field goals made per game (3.4) and ranks seventh in points per game (16.8). Other top players include Hayden Gray who leads the nation with 97 steals to go with averaging 11.1 points. UC San Diego shares the Big West lead in scoring at 80.5 points per game while it leads the conference with only 62.0 points per game allowed. UCSD is also second in the nation in scoring margin (+18.4), third in steals per game (10.3) and third in least turnovers per game (7.2).
Series History: UCSD leads CSUN 7-2 in the all-time series including a holding perfect 7-0 record since joining the Big West. The Tritons handed the Matadors their worst loss of the season on Jan. 25 by a 79-54 score, as the Matadors had a season-low in points.
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos are 18-10 overall and 10-7 in Big West play as they are in the hunt for the top four spots in the conference. Stephan Swenson sports a team-best 13.0 points per game followed by Kenny Pohto at 12.5 points per game. Pohto is the conference leader in field goal percentage (63.1) while Swenson is second in assists per game (4.3). Cole Anderson also tops the Big West in 3-point field goal percentage (50.7) to go with 9.0 points per game. UCSB leads the Big West in field goal percentage (47.2) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.8).
Series History: UCSB holds a 47-25 lead in the all-time series, but the Matadors have won the last three meetings. CSUN knocked off UC Santa Barbara at the Thunderdome 78-71 on Jan. 30 this season.
#GoMatadors
Â
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball returns to Premier America Credit Union Arena this week for two big tests. The Matadors square off with Big West-leading UC San Diego on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. before facing UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio broadcasts also available at GoMatadors.com/Radio with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call.
FOR STARTERS
Winners of seven in a row, the Matadors (20-7, 12-4 Big West) are in third place in the Big West standings but just two games back of first place UC San Diego (14-2) and one game back of second place UC Irvine. UC Riverside (11-6) is just two games back for third while UC Santa Barbara (10-7) is three games back. The rest of the top eight in the Big West includes UC Davis (9-8), Hawai'i (6-10) and Cal State Bakersfield (6-11). The top two seeds in the Big West would earn a double bye into the Big West Championship semifinal round while finishing third or fourth would earn a single bye to the quarterfinal round. The Big West Championship begins in two weeks on March 12 in Henderson, Nev.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN picked up a pair of impressive road victories last week, defeating UC Irvine 84-72 and UC Davis 65-62. In both games, CSUN trailed in the second half and staged big runs down the stretch to reach 20 wins on the season. The Matadors stretched their win streak to seven, tying a school Division I record.
Marcus Adams Jr. led the way against UC Irvine last Thursday with 24 points while Scotty Washington added 14 points and both Tyler Beard and Judson Martindale chipped in 10 points apiece. The Matadors outscored the Anteaters 50-35 in the second half including 27-11 to close the game. CSUN's win was its first victory over UC Irvine since 2020 and it clinched its first winning conference record since the 2008-09 season.
The Matadors needed a late rally to knock off UC Davis last Saturday. CSUN outscored UC Davis 19-4 to end the game, erasing a 12-point deficit. Senior Mahmoud Fofana topped CSUN with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Adams had 19 points and Washington finished with 14 points. Washington made the go-ahead shot with under three minutes to play that gave CSUN the lead for good. The Matadors secured their first win at UC Davis and first regular season sweep of the Aggies since the 2008-09 season.
ADAMS NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Marcus Adams Jr. collected his second Big West Player of the Week award on Feb. 24 after averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the Matadors' two road wins at UC Irvine and UC Davis. Adams shot 55.6 percent overall and 40.0 percent from 3-point range in the victories. He scored 20 of his 24 points against UC Irvine in the second half including a big dunk in the final minute to seal a win. Adams would also have 19 points against UC Davis, hitting a key three late. CSUN players have won four total Big West Player of the Week awards with Adams winning two and Scotty Washington winning two.
TOP MATADOR PERFORMERS
Marcus Adams Jr., a transfer from BYU, comes into the week averaging a team-high 16.3 points, good enough for eighth-best in the Big West. Adams is also shooting 53.4 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from three to go with 4.9 rebounds per game. Another transfer this season, Scotty Washington is 10th in the Big West in scoring at 14.8 points along with fifth in free throw percentage (86.9). From three, Adams is leading CSUN with 53 made and Washington is second with 47. Senior Keonte Jones still ranks first in the Big West in rebounds per game (9.3) while he is second in assists per game (4.3) and blocks per game (1.4) and fourth in steals per game (1.9). Jones is 14th in the nation with 12 double-doubles on the season as he is averaging 12.7 points.
CSUN IN THE BIG WEST AND NATIONALLY
The Matadors remain the Big West leader in multiple rebound categories including overall rebounds per game (40.6), rebound margin (+9.3) and offensive rebounds per game (13.1). The team also shares the Big West lead in points per game, averaging 80.5 while CSUN is first in assists per game (16.7). The Matadors are holding steady in second place in defensive field goal percentage (40.0) and steals per game (8.1). Nationally, CSUN has moved up to fifth in rebound margin, 10th in rebounds per game and 14th in turnovers forced per game (15.6).
FASTEST TO 20 WINS SINCE...
CSUN has reached 20 wins for just the fourth time in its Division I history and for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Matadors have also reached 20 wins the fastest in their entire D-1 history. The team last reached 20 wins over 27 games in the 1978-79 season when the program played at the Division II level. The Matadors are just two wins away from tying their school record for wins and three wins away from setting a new CSUN win benchmark.
SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
The Tritons (24-4, 14-2 Big West) have won nine consecutive games and come in receiving votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 rankings. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, a candidate for Big West Player of the Year, is third in the Big West in scoring at 19.8 points while he is second in the nation in free throws made (187). Tyler McGhie tops the Big West in 3-point field goals made per game (3.4) and ranks seventh in points per game (16.8). Other top players include Hayden Gray who leads the nation with 97 steals to go with averaging 11.1 points. UC San Diego shares the Big West lead in scoring at 80.5 points per game while it leads the conference with only 62.0 points per game allowed. UCSD is also second in the nation in scoring margin (+18.4), third in steals per game (10.3) and third in least turnovers per game (7.2).
Series History: UCSD leads CSUN 7-2 in the all-time series including a holding perfect 7-0 record since joining the Big West. The Tritons handed the Matadors their worst loss of the season on Jan. 25 by a 79-54 score, as the Matadors had a season-low in points.
SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos are 18-10 overall and 10-7 in Big West play as they are in the hunt for the top four spots in the conference. Stephan Swenson sports a team-best 13.0 points per game followed by Kenny Pohto at 12.5 points per game. Pohto is the conference leader in field goal percentage (63.1) while Swenson is second in assists per game (4.3). Cole Anderson also tops the Big West in 3-point field goal percentage (50.7) to go with 9.0 points per game. UCSB leads the Big West in field goal percentage (47.2) and 3-point field goal percentage (38.8).
Series History: UCSB holds a 47-25 lead in the all-time series, but the Matadors have won the last three meetings. CSUN knocked off UC Santa Barbara at the Thunderdome 78-71 on Jan. 30 this season.
#GoMatadors
Â
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballTexas State vs. Eastern Washington
Saturday, November 20
Texas State vs. Dixie State
Friday, November 19
A Conversation With Mark Gottfried
Friday, June 19
Preseason chat with Terrell Gomez
Thursday, October 03