CSUN Hosts Two Big West Foes as Race for Postseason Continues

Thursday, February 19

Northridge, Calif

6:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

UC Santa Barbara

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Photo by: Bella A Enriquez

CSUN Hosts Two Big West Foes as Race for Postseason Continues

2/18/2026 12:56:00 PM | Women's Basketball

GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN women's basketball team (8-15, 4-10 Big West) is set to host two Big West opponents this week as it takes on UC Santa Barbara (17-7, 9-6 Big West) on Thursday, February 19 at 6:00 p.m. and Long Beach State (3-21, 2-12 Big West) on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. Both games will be at Premier America Credit Union Arena and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN took on the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine and was defeated in Honolulu by a score of 63-54 on Saturday night. Jite Gbemuotor had a career-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds, her sixth career double-double. Rita Nazario also added 10 points. CSUN took a lead into the intermission but couldn't hold onto the lead in the second half.

Gbemuotor, Nazario and Saray White accounted for 38 of CSUN's 54 points. This was Gbemuotor's 10th career double-figure point game.

The Matadors carried a 19-15 lead heading into the second quarter. In the second quarter, CSUN began things on a 5-0 run, with a jump shot made by Erika Aspajo and a behind the arc shot from Mariona Cos-Morales to give the Matadors their biggest lead of the game at 24-15 with 9:10 remaining in the half. UH responded with a mini 6-2 run of its own but the Matadors carried a seven point leading going into the second half.

CSUN's offense was slow out of the break as the Rainbow Wahine made adjustments. Both teams played solid defense in the third quarter, but UH jumped out to an 8-2 run. The Rainbow Wahine began the fourth on a 9-2 run with multiple buckets from Keiara Curtis as UH now led 54-44 with 7:14 remaining in the game. The lead ended up holding for UH.

FIGHTING FOR A PLAYOFF SPOT
The top eight teams in the Big West after the season ends will have an automatic bid to the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship in Henderson, Nevada from March 11-14. CSUN had a big week last week in terms of the standings. The Matadors currently have a two-game lead on the eighth and final seed of the tournament. CSUN is 4-10 in Big West play, and the next closest teams are Long Beach State at 2-12, and Cal State Bakersfield at 2-12. CSUN hosts Long Beach State on Saturday and the Roadrunners on March 5.

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 nine out of the last 12 games and in 10 games total. She also leads the team in double-doubles with six. She has led CSUN in rebounding in 11 different games so far this year, while leading the Matadors in rebounds per game at 7.9 per contest. She also averages 9.4 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 44th in the nation in three-pointers made per game, which is good for fourth in the Big West. Rita Nazario currently paces the team in three-pointers made on the year, as she has drilled 56 shots from distance. Morgan Edwards is second on the team with 26 made. Six different Matadors have drilled double-digit shots from downtown so far this year.

ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos enter Thursday's contest fifth in the Big West with a 9-6 conference record. Defense is the name of the Gauchos' game. They are currently third in the Big West in points allowed with 59.6 points allowed per game. These two teams played earlier in the year on January 3rd. UCSB came out victorious by a score of 88-70 at the Thunderdome.

Zoe Borter is the best scorer for UCSB. She averages 14.9 PPG. Olivia Bradley is a solid scorer for the Gauchos as well, averaging 13.2 PPG.

UCSB has the second best three-point percentage in the Big West at 33.9%. Defense is also a strength with the Gauchos ranking third in the Big West at 3.42 blocked shots per game.

SERIES HISTORY: The Matadors are 20-66 all-time against UCSB. CSUN's last win came on Jan. 5, 2019 where CSUN was victorious 73-65 at home.

ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
The Beach are 3-21 on the year and 2-12 in Big West games. They are last in the conference in points per game at 54.4 PPG and in defense at 73.0 PPG. That makes for the worst margin of defeat at -18.6 PPG.

A strength of the Beach are blocked shots. They are fourth in the conference in blocks per game at 3.08 per game. They are also solid in assists per game at 13.43 per contest, which is good for fifth overall in the Big West.

Long Beach State does have one of the best players in the conference in Jaquoia Jones-Brown. The November 17th Big West Player of the Week is averaging 16.8 PPG, which is good for fifth overall in the conference.

Series History: CSUN is 24-49 all time against the Beach. LBSU is currently riding a six-game win streak against the Matadors. CSUN's last win came on January 5, 2023.