Thursday, February 6
Northridge, Calif.
7:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
16-7,8-4Big West
82
vs
63
Cal State Fullerton
6-18,1-11Big West
1
2
F
Cal St. Fullerton
29
34
63
CSUN
41
41
82
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Downs Fullerton 83-62 for Third Straight Win
2/6/2025 9:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball notched its third consecutive victory by defeating Cal State Fullerton 83-62 on Thursday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena. Marcus Adams Jr. led the way with 21 points to go with seven rebounds and four steals while Keonte Jones filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocks. Tyler Beard added 12 points and nine assists.
The Matadors' 8-4 start to conference play is their best since the 2008-09 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Matadors took the lead from the start with a 7-0 run to kick off the game. Adams, who closed the run with a three, made his first five shots from the field. The Matador sophomore hit another three at the 12-minute mark then sank one more from distance with 10:44 on the clock for a 20-11 lead. The Titans though battled back throughout the first half, pulling to within four on five quick points. Donovan Oday later hit a three to bring Fullerton within 22-21 with 9:04 remaining in the first half. CSUN answered back with five straight points, capped by a traditional three-point play from Beard. At the seven-minute mark, Adams began an 8-0 Matador run with another three-point field goal. The Titans would earn their way to the line over the next minute plus, cutting the gap to 35-29 on six consecutive made free throws. CSUN went scoreless for over two minutes before Jordan Brinson knocked down a three to extend the lead to 38-29 with 3:01 on the clock. Moments later, a Jones steal led to a Mahmoud Fofana basket to push the lead back to double digits. The Matadors held the Titans scoreless over the final 4:23 of the first half and went into the break ahead 41-29.
After ending the first half on a 6-0 run, the Matadors opened the second half with an 11-0 run to break the game open. Five different Matadors scored in the run to open the second period with Grady Lewis closing the run with a jumper for a 52-29 lead. The Titans would close the gap to 55-37 on five consecutive points, but Adams set up Jones for an easy two. Moments later, it would be Adams who finished at the hoop as he threw down a dunk on a second-chance bucket to make it a 59-37 game. Plagued with foul trouble in the first half, Scotty Washington checked in at the 10-minute mark of the second period and promptly hit back-to-back threes. Jones followed with two straight baskets to close a 10-0 run and extend the lead to the biggest of the night at 71-42 with 8:42 to play. All 18 of Jones' points came in the second half as his three at the 4:52 mark made it an 80-55 game. Down the stretch, Fullerton would close the gap to 19 points, but the Matador defense never led the Titans draw closer.
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NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH ANDY NEWMAN
"Defense was great tonight. It's fun to watch them play when they're locked in and we got it from a lot of different people tonight. Scotty getting in foul trouble forced us to get into our bench. Watching Jordan and Tyler defend was fun."
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road this Saturday to take on Long Beach State with tip off set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister have the call at GoMatadors.com/Radio.
#GoMatadors
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The Matadors' 8-4 start to conference play is their best since the 2008-09 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Matadors took the lead from the start with a 7-0 run to kick off the game. Adams, who closed the run with a three, made his first five shots from the field. The Matador sophomore hit another three at the 12-minute mark then sank one more from distance with 10:44 on the clock for a 20-11 lead. The Titans though battled back throughout the first half, pulling to within four on five quick points. Donovan Oday later hit a three to bring Fullerton within 22-21 with 9:04 remaining in the first half. CSUN answered back with five straight points, capped by a traditional three-point play from Beard. At the seven-minute mark, Adams began an 8-0 Matador run with another three-point field goal. The Titans would earn their way to the line over the next minute plus, cutting the gap to 35-29 on six consecutive made free throws. CSUN went scoreless for over two minutes before Jordan Brinson knocked down a three to extend the lead to 38-29 with 3:01 on the clock. Moments later, a Jones steal led to a Mahmoud Fofana basket to push the lead back to double digits. The Matadors held the Titans scoreless over the final 4:23 of the first half and went into the break ahead 41-29.
Defying the laws of physics.
— CSUN Men's Basketball (@CSUNMBB) February 7, 2025
Tyler Beard with his second and-one in less than two minutes.
CSUN by 10.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/numb7YTAi8
After ending the first half on a 6-0 run, the Matadors opened the second half with an 11-0 run to break the game open. Five different Matadors scored in the run to open the second period with Grady Lewis closing the run with a jumper for a 52-29 lead. The Titans would close the gap to 55-37 on five consecutive points, but Adams set up Jones for an easy two. Moments later, it would be Adams who finished at the hoop as he threw down a dunk on a second-chance bucket to make it a 59-37 game. Plagued with foul trouble in the first half, Scotty Washington checked in at the 10-minute mark of the second period and promptly hit back-to-back threes. Jones followed with two straight baskets to close a 10-0 run and extend the lead to the biggest of the night at 71-42 with 8:42 to play. All 18 of Jones' points came in the second half as his three at the 4:52 mark made it an 80-55 game. Down the stretch, Fullerton would close the gap to 19 points, but the Matador defense never led the Titans draw closer.
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16 points for Keonte Jones. 9 assists for Tyler Beard.
— CSUN Men's Basketball (@CSUNMBB) February 7, 2025
CSUN rolling by 25.#GoMatadors pic.twitter.com/ABYGLO6wPi
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN improves to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Big West play while Cal State Fullerton drops to 6-18 overall and 1-11 in conference.
- On the night, the Matadors shot 43.3 percent while making 11-of-33 threes (33.3 percent) and 13-of-17 free throws (76.5 percent). The Titans shot 36.4 percent overall while they hit 7-of-18 from three (38.9 percent) and 24-of-32 from the free throw line (75.0 percent).
- The Matadors out-rebounded the Titans 40-34 and led 34-10 in points in the paint.
- CSUN posted a season high in steals with 14 while the team tied its season high in assists with 25.
- Beard posted a season high in points with 12 and tied his career best in assists with nine.
- Adams made 5-of-11 from three-point range.
ACCORDING TO COACH ANDY NEWMAN
"Defense was great tonight. It's fun to watch them play when they're locked in and we got it from a lot of different people tonight. Scotty getting in foul trouble forced us to get into our bench. Watching Jordan and Tyler defend was fun."
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road this Saturday to take on Long Beach State with tip off set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister have the call at GoMatadors.com/Radio.
#GoMatadors
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Team Stats
CSF
CSUN
FG%
.364
.433
3FG%
.389
.333
FT%
.750
.765
RB
34
40
TO
19
12
STL
4
14
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
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