Gbemuotor Powers CSUN by Cal Poly, 77-68 in Road Victory

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif --- The CSUN women's basketball team (6-8, 2-3 Big West) took down the Cal Poly Mustangs (3-11, 1-4 Big West) 77-68 Thursday night at Mott Athletics Center. Jite Gbemuotor led the Matadors with 16 points to go with 15 rebounds for her first career double-double. Four other Matadors scored in double figures as Morgan Edwards had 15, Mariona Cos-Morales scored 13, Saray White totaled 11 and Erika Aspajo posted 10 in the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a high scoring first quarter for both teams. CSUN jumped out to an early lead with a 12-6 run thanks in large part to two steals and scores from Cos-Morales and Gbemuotor. After a score from the Mustangs, Gbemuotor repeated the exact same play, a steal and score to make it a 14-8 game with 03:17 left to play in the first period. The sophomore forward from Nigeria made another jump shot to cap a strong quarter. Cal Poly cut the lead to two under the first minute mark before two made free-throws from Rita Nazario to end the first. The scoreboard read 18-14 heading into the second.

In the second quarter, CSUN kept its foot on the gas. Out of the gate, a layup by Cos-Morales and a three-point jumper by Gbemuotor pushed the lead to nine points to 23-14 with 8:48 left on the clock. Cal Poly responded with a three of its own by Vanessa McManus to cut the lead to six. After two CSUN free-throws, McManus drained another shot from distance with a foul to cut the deficit to four at 25-21 with 7:32 remaining. CSUN then went on a 7-2 run before the Mustangs sank a jumper to make it a 33-28 lead with 2:23 remaining in the half. In the next possession, Cal Poly made it just a three-point game on a made layup.

CSUN then went on a 7-0 run after Cos-Morales swished her third three of the year to bump CSUN's lead to its largest of the game at 40-30 with 32 seconds left in the first half. Cal Poly did make two shots in the final seconds as the score was 40-34 heading into intermission.

SECOND HALF
The Matadors would stretch their lead in the early going, starting the second half on an 11-7 run before a media timeout at the 4:40 mark. In that run, it was balanced scoring all around. Aspajo, White, Edwards, and Gbemuotor all contributed to the scoring to begin the third quarter. After the media timeout, both teams traded buckets. An Edwards three-point shot brought CSUN its largest lead of the game at 57-44 with 2:31 left to play in the period. The Mustangs responded with two layups, but CSUN took a 60-48 lead into the final 10 minutes. Edwards scored 10 points in the third quarter on 4-5 shooting.

In the fourth quarter, Cal Poly inched closer, outscoring CSUN 11-8 in the first six minutes. Still, the Matadors maintained a nine-point lead heading into a media time out with 4:23 left in the game at 68-59. Out of the timeout, a rebound and a putback by Gbemuotor put CSUN past the 70-point mark. The Mustangs responded with a three by McManus to make it 70-63.

CSUN did a great job defensively to close the game as the Mustangs went into a scoring drought for the next 2:03 on the clock. Cal Poly drained a three-pointer with 1:22 left to make it a 73-66 game. The Matadors called a timeout with 69 seconds left on the clock as they looked to close the game. And close it they did, making clutch free throws to put the game out of reach.

NEWS AND NOTES

Gbemuotor's double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds is the first CSUN double-double since opening night against Bethesda on Nov. 4. Nine of those rebounds were in the first half alone.
Second chance points were a calling card for the Matadors with CSUN leading 21-8.
CSUN's offensive rebounds were another key to the victory, as the Matadors had 18 to Cal Poly's 11.
This was CSUN's first win against Cal Poly since 2022, snapping a five-game skid.
Cal Poly's Vanessa McManus dropped a game-best 31 points.
Laini Dahlin led the team with shots from behind the arc, making three shots from distance.
19 of CSUN's points came from the charity stripe.
The only Cal Poly lead was 5-2 in the first quarter.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH ANGIE NED
"Our team is evolving and understanding shot selection and advantage opportunities much better. It helps when the team is able to convert easy baskets at the rim. We are very proud of how Jite [Gbemuotor] is playing. She is a tough cover when she uses her speed and athleticism. We've spent a lot of time emphasizing rebounding on both ends. Jite [Gbemuotor] and Mariona [Cos-Morales] do a great job of pursuing the ball and helping to get second chance opportunities.

UP NEXT
CSUN's next game will be on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton at Premier America Credit Union Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. Jill Painter-Lopez and Alex Hutton will be on the call

Gbemuotor Powers CSUN by Cal Poly, 77-68 in Road Victory

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Team Stats

Jite Gbemuotor

Morgan Edwards

Mariona Cos-Morales

Saray White

Players Mentioned

Erika Aspajo

Mariona Cos-Morales

Laini Dahlin

Morgan Edwards

Jite Gbemuotor

Saray White