CSUN Set for Clash with Big West-Leading Hawai'i

Saturday, February 14

Northridge, Calif.

5:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

Hawai'i

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Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Set for Clash with Big West-Leading Hawai'i

2/13/2026 11:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball

MBB Game Notes - Feb. 13

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball takes the floor against Big West leader Hawai'i on Saturday at Premier America Credit Union Arena. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call.

FOR STARTERS
Winners of four in a row, CSUN (15-10, 8-5 Big West) has moved into fourth place in the Big West standings but only two games out of first-place Hawai'i entering play on Saturday. The Big West race remains tight as four weekends remain in the regular season. UC Santa Barbara sits in second place at 10-4 followed by UC Irvine in third at 9-4. Right behind CSUN is UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton in fifth place with identical 8-6 records while UC San Diego is seventh at 7-7 and Cal Poly in eighth at 6-8.

CSUN's Saturday's matchup with Hawai'i will be the final meeting between the two teams as Big West competitors. The Rainbow Warriors are completing their final season in the Big West before making the move to the Mountain West Conference in 2026-27.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN began last week with a thrilling 97-96 victory at Cal Poly last Thursday as Josiah Davis set up Joshua O'Garro for a game-winning layup with two seconds remaining. The Mustangs trailed the Matadors by as many as 16 points before rallying to take a late one-point lead with nine seconds left prior to the game winner. Larry Hughes II scored a career-high 32 points with six made threes while Mahmoud Fofana had 17 points and Jordan Brinson chipped in 14 points. CSUN made a season-high 14 threes in the win.

The Matadors would close the week with an 88-74 victory over UC Riverside at Premier America Credit Union Arena on Saturday. Hughes once again led the way offensively, tallying 18 points while the trio of O'Garro, Davis and James Evans Jr. poured in 17 points apiece. The game would be tied at 56-56 near the midway point of the second half before CSUN went on a 32-15 run down the stretch. The Matadors led by as many as 20 points in the final minutes as CSUN shot 58.3 percent overall in the victory.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Senior guard Larry Hughes II has enjoyed a career season in his first year with CSUN. Hughes has led the team in scoring throughout the season, posting the second-best average in the Big West at 18.7. Hughes also tops the Big West and ranks 12th overall in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game (3.4). His 82 made threes are the fifth-most in school history for a season. No slouch on the defensive end, Hughes is tied for fourth place in the Big West in steals per game at 1.7.

OWNING THE GLASS
CSUN remains the Big West leader in rebounding, totaling 41.7 per game, good enough for 10th-best in the nation. The Matadors, who have also led the Big West in rebounding each of the last two seasons, are also tops in the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.2) and ranked second in both rebounding margin (+6.3) and defensive rebounds per game (28.5). CSUN boasts two of the top three rebounders in the Big West on its squad as Joshua O'Garro sits in first place at 9.6 per game and Mahmoud Fofana ranks third at 7.8 per game. O'Garro, who scores 14.1 points per game, has averaged 7.8 defensive rebounds and registered 11 double-doubles, which rank fifth and 20th in the nation, respectively. Fofana is the Matadors' top offensive rebounder, posting 3.0 per game.

THE ASSIST MAN
Josiah Davis has taken the reigns of the point guard position this season and gone on to lead the Big West in assists. His league-leading 182 assists and 7.3 assists per game are among the best in the nation, ranking fifth and sixth in Division I basketball, respectively. Davis has already etched his name in CSUN history this season, tying the single-game record for assists with 15 in two separate games. Overall, Davis has dished out the fourth-most assists in a season in school history with 182 helpers. While his playmaking has been impressive, Davis has also averaged the third-most points on the team at 13.6 per game, which is also a new career high.

SCOUTING HAWAI'I
The Rainbow Warriors come in at 18-5 overall this season with a 10-3 Big West record. Hawai'i knocked off Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, 89-74, for its third straight victory. While the team has been dominant at home, going 14-1, the team is just 4-4 away from home this season. The Bows boast the top defensive team in the Big West, averaging 67.1 points against this season while ranking fourth in scoring offense at 80.6 points per game. The team is also ranked first in the nation in defensive three-point field goal percentage (26.8). Four players are scoring in double figures led by Isaac Johnson at 13.6 points per game. Other double-digit scorers include Dre Bullock (12.9), Harry Rouhliadeff (11.2) and Gytis Nemeiksa (10.5).

Series History: Hawai'i holds a 25-11 edge over CSUN in the all-time series. The teams squared off in Honolulu three weeks ago on Jan. 24 with the Bows pulling away for an 89-68 victory. CSUN has won two straight home matchups including claiming an 82-73 decision last March in Northridge.

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