BIG WEST RACE HEATS UP
Winners of seven in a row, CSUN (18-10, 11-5 Big West) has moved right into a three-way tie atop the Big West standings. The Matadors at the moment share equivalent 11-5 convention data with UC Irvine and Hawai’i as solely 4 league video games stay on the schedule. The Big West standings although proceed to get tighter after first place because the trio of UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Fullerton are every in fourth place at 10-7. UC San Diego is only a half sport behind these three groups at 9-7 whereas Cal Poly sits within the eighth and ultimate postseason spot at 8-8. CSUN holds tiebreakers with UCSB, UC San Diego and Cal Poly.
Following this week, CSUN will journey to Cal State Bakersfield on March 5 earlier than wrapping up the common season on Senior Night on March 7 towards Cal State Fullerton.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN rallied to defeat UC Santa Barbara final Thursday on the Thunderdome in time beyond regulation 85-83 to sweep the season collection. Trailing by as many as 13 factors, the Matadors put collectively an unbelievable comeback together with erasing a four-point deficit with 16 seconds to play. After a Joshua O’Garro layup, Josiah Davis picked up a steal within the UCSB backcourt, main to the game-tying basket from Grady Lewis to ship the sport to time beyond regulation. In the additional session, Davis scored 5 of CSUN’s 9 factors to maintain off UCSB. Davis completed with a career-high 31 factors and 14 rebounds whereas O’Garro had 20 factors and Mahmoud Fofana chipped in 14 factors and 14 rebounds.
The Matadors edged Long Beach State 78-76 on the highway final Saturday to run their successful streak to seven video games. CSUN led by as many as 17 factors within the second half earlier than a livid rally from the Beach, which noticed CSUN’s lead slip to two factors within the ultimate minute. Jordan Brinson made a key three within the closing moments whereas CSUN withstood two late Beach photographs to tie the sport. Davis once more led the way in which, scoring 21 factors to go together with 9 assists. O’Garro added 13 factors and Lewis chipped in 12 factors off the bench.
DAVIS NABS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
CSUN senior level guard Josiah Davis obtained nationwide recognition on Feb. 23 for his distinctive week on the court docket the place he led CSUN to wins over UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State. Davis was named Lute Olson Award National Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week together with Big West Player of the Week as he averaged 26.0 factors, 8.0 assists and 1.0 steals per sport. During the week, Davis scored a career-high 31 factors on 10-of-24 capturing to go together with 14 rebounds at UCSB whereas he added a 21-point effort towards the Beach.
PROGRAM-TYING STREAK
For the third consecutive season, CSUN has tied a Division I college document with seven consecutive victories, The Matadors, who started the win streak on Jan. 29, tied the program-record first established by the 2000-01 workforce. CSUN’s total college document for wins in a row stays at 9, set throughout this system’s Division II period in 1966-67 and matched in 1981-82. This season, CSUN has additionally tied its college document with seven straight convention wins, which was first established in 1977-78 and matched in 2007-08 and 2024-25.
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Senior guard Larry Hughes II has loved a profession season in his first yr with CSUN. Hughes has led the workforce in scoring all through the season, posting the second-best common within the Big West at 18.2. Hughes additionally tops the Big West and ranks seventeenth total within the nation in 3-point discipline objectives made per sport (3.3). His 89 made threes are the fourth-most in class historical past for a season. No slouch on the defensive finish, Hughes is tied for sixth place within the Big West in steals per sport at 1.6.
THE ASSIST MAN
Josiah Davis has taken the reigns of the purpose guard place this season and gone on to lead the Big West in assists. His league-leading 7.3 assists per sport and 203 complete assists are among the many greatest within the nation, rating fourth and fifth in all of Division I basketball, respectively. Davis has already etched his title in CSUN historical past this season, tying the single-game document for assists with 15 in two separate video games. Overall, Davis has dished out the third-most assists in a season in class historical past along with his 203 helpers. While his playmaking has been spectacular, Davis has additionally averaged the second-most factors on the workforce at 14.8 per sport, which ranks Tenth-best within the Big West.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
UC Irvine, the preseason Big West favourite, enters the week at 18-10 total and 11-5 in Big West play. In final week’s motion, UCI defeated Long Beach State 69-58 earlier than falling at house to UC San Diego 71-69. The workforce has gone 9-6 away from the Bren Events Center this season. The Anteaters lead the Big West in scoring protection, limiting opponents to 67.8 factors per sport whereas they’re additionally first in defensive discipline aim share (37.8) and blocks per sport (6.0). Jurian Dixon, the workforce’s prime scorer, is seventh within the Big West in factors per sport at 15.6 adopted by Kyle Evans (12.2) and Derin Saran (11.3). Evans can also be second within the league in rebounding, flattening 8.8 per sport.
Series History: The Anteaters lead the Matadors 46-26 within the all-time collection after taking the primary assembly this season in Irvine by a rating of 85-71. UCI has gained 18 of the previous 20 conferences with CSUN together with 10 consecutive at Premier America Credit Union Arena. The Matadors’ final win at house within the collection was on Feb. 22, 2014.
SCOUTING UC RIVERSIDE
The Highlanders are available in with a 9-20 total document and 4-13 convention mark. UCR knocked off Cal State Bakersfield final Thursday, 93-65, earlier than dropping a good 78-73 determination to UC Davis. While the workforce is 3-13 away from house this season, UC Riverside is 6-7 on the SRC Arena. The workforce averages 72.6 factors and permits 77.4 factors whereas UCR is third within the Big West in blocks per sport (4.2). Andrew Henderson checks in at third place within the Big West in scoring at 17.9 factors per sport. Other double-digit scorers embrace Marqui Worthy (15.7) and Osiris Grady (10.6).
Series History: The Matadors maintain a 48-45 edge within the collection with the Highlanders. CSUN knocked off UCR 88-74 earlier this month on Feb. 7. The groups have break up the previous 4 conferences after UCR had gained seven straight within the collection. CSUN goes for its first season sweep of UCR since 2020.
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