CSUN Set for Two Road Showdowns This Week, UC Davis and UC San Diego

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif --- The CSUN women's basketball team will once again compete in Big West action this week when it travels to UC Davis (14-6, 7-2 Big West) on Thursday and UC San Diego (13-6, 8-1 Big West) on Saturday. Thursday's contest is set to tip-off at 6:00 p.m. while Saturday is set to get underway at 4:00 p.m. Both games will stream live on ESPN+.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN played only one game last week instead of the usual two games on Thursday and Saturday. The Matadors took on the Rainbow Wahine from Hawai'i in a home showdown Saturday afternoon at Premier America Credit Union Arena. CSUN had a lead at halftime, but the Rainbow Wahine outscored the Matadors 42-26 in the second half to emerge victorious. Hawai'i went 15-16 from the foul stripe in the fourth quarter to seal the win. CSUN's Erika Aspajo scored a game-high 20 points to lead all scorers.

In the second quarter, CSUN played one of its best quarters all season offensively and defensively. CSUN jumped all over Hawai'i, beginning the quarter on a 15-0 run, going 7-10 from the field as Aspajo contributed seven points. Jite Gbemuotor registered her third career double-double and fourth double-digit rebound game, finishing with 10 points and 12 boards.

JITE HAS BEEN A STAR TRANSFER
Jite Gbemuotor has made a huge impact this season after transferring from Ole Miss. The sophomore from Delta State, Nigeria, has scored in double figures in six out of the last seven games and in eight games total. She also leads the team in double-doubles with three, (01/08 at Cal Poly), (01/10 vs Cal State Fullerton) and this past game (01/24 vs Hawai'i). She has led CSUN in rebounding in seven different games so far this year, while leading the Matadors in rebounds per game at 7.2 per contest. She also averages 8.9 rebounds per game in Big West games alone, which is good for third in the conference.

SHOTS FROM DISTANCE IS THE NAME OF OUR GAME
CSUN gets a lot of its offense from three-point shots. Currently, CSUN is 29th in the nation in three-pointers made per game, which is good for third in the Big West. Rita Nazario currently paces the team in three-pointers made on the year, as she has drilled 47 shots from distance. Morgan Edwards is second on the team with 21 made. Six different Matadors have drilled double-digit shots from downtown so far this year.

BRINGING DOWN THE BOARDS
CSUN currently leads the Big West in rebounds per game at 40.2. Gbemuotor is currently pacing the Matadors with 129 rebounds this season, while Nadia Bernard has 78 and Saray White has 75 Every Matador has at least 22 rebounds this season, with seven different Matadors are averaging at least three rebounds per game.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies come into Thursday's game with a 14-6 record and 7-2 record in the Big West. UCD has a 5-2 record at home and has won its last two contests. The Aggies are fourth in Big West only games in scoring at 68.7 points per game. Where CSUN and UC Davis match up the best is in the rebounding department. While CSUN is first in that category with 40.2 per contest, the Aggies are second at 38.7 per game.

UC Davis has a one-two punch on offense. Ryann Bennett leads the Aggies with 15.4 points per game, which is good enough for ninth in the Big West. UC Davis also has the reigning Big West player of the week in Megan Norris. Norris is averaging 13.2 points per game. The honor comes after back-to-back 20+ point performances on the road last weekend.

UC Davis also does damage from the charity stripe. The Aggies are second in the Big West with a 76.8 percentage from the line so far this year.

Series History: UC Davis is currently 37-17 all-time against CSUN. The Matadors' last victory against the Aggies was in the 2018 Big West Championship game. CSUN punched its ticket to the March Madness Tournament in a 63-55 win.

SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
UC San Diego enters this week with a 13-6 record and is tied for first in the Big West with an 8-1 record. The Tritons are 7-3 at LionTree Arena this season. UCSD ranks second in the Big West, averaging 71.1 points per game, while only allowing 58.0 points per game. The Tritons also rank second in the Big West in scoring margin at 13.1 points per game.

UC San Diego is tops in the Big West in three-point percentage, shooting 35% from downtown so far in conference play.

The Tritons are led in offense by Erin Condron, who is having a big season when it comes to Big West play. She is currently fourth in Big West games at 17.3 points per game. Sabrina Ma and Rosa Smith are also big scoring threats, both averaging 13 points per game so far this season.

Series History: CSUN is 3-6 all-time against UC San Diego. The last win for the Matadors came on March 2, 2024, where CSUN won 66-64 in overtime.
#GoMatadors

California State University Northridge Athletics

CSUN Set for Two Road Showdowns This Week, UC Davis and UC San Diego

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Erika Aspajo

Nadia Bernard

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Jite Gbemuotor

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