It didn’t take long for CSUN head coach Andy Newman to celebrate his first win at Northridge. After a loss against Stanford University, the Matadors (1-1) came back on the road against University of Idaho (0-2) to win 76-73.
In what may be an indicator of what is to come from the Newman era at CSUN, the Matadors kept the game competitive and gutted out a good road win despite a rough night shooting from the starting five.
Learning from their mistakes, the Matadors cut their foul count in half. In the season opening loss against Stanford, CSUN had 26 fouls called against them, and against the Idaho Vandals, they finished with 11.
Both teams struggled to get points up to start the game, as there were five consecutive misses before Vandals guard Julius Mims opened up the scoring with a fast break dunk nearly two minutes into the game.
Despite the sluggish start, Idaho found their stride and saw their first half lead climb as high as 11 before the Matadors began to chip away. CSUN quickly quelled the Vandals momentum by going on a 12-0 run.
Matadors forward De’Sean Allen-Eikens had another huge night shooting the ball, as he had a game high of 19 points on 6-10 shooting from the field.
With less than 1:30 left in the half, Matadors guard Jared Barnett scored his only points of the game off a layup that saw CSUN take the lead to close out the first half.
Very much akin to the first half, both teams remained in near-deadlock throughout the majority of the second half. Neither team’s lead climbed higher than seven points, and CSUN had to continuously play from behind until the Matadors started to pull away late to eke out the comeback win.
Allen-Eikens, a fifth-year senior, continued to show why he is the top option in Newman’s offense, as he knocked down the game-tying three with four minutes left, as well as the game-sealing free throws to extend the CSUN lead by three with less than five seconds left in the game.
However, despite the big game from Allen-Eikens, he finished with three turnovers, pushing his total to ten so far in the first two games of the season. Keeping the turnovers down, especially in late-game situations, is going to be key for CSUN this year if they want to stay competitive in close games.
CSUN transfers Keonte Jones and Jasman Sangha finished with double-digit points off the bench, with 16 and 12 respectively.
Sangha continues to give the Matadors a post-presence off the bench. The Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, transfer finished the night shooting 6-7 from the field.
Jones, who was limited by foul trouble against Stanford, had a big night offensively for CSUN. Against the Cardinal, he flashed signs that he could be a dangerous piece off the bench for the Matadors. He finished with a double-double, posting 11 rebounds to go along with his 16 points. Jones also showed his defensive tenacity, adding three blocks to his statsheet.
Idaho’s Terren Frank gave the Matadors all they could handle as he finished with 18 points off the bench. The Vandals had four players finish in double digits, including Mims, who ended with 12 on the night.
The game was eerily similar to last year’s matchup between the two schools as the Vandals pulled that one out 76-73.
Once again, there was no sight of CSUN assistant coach Jordan Jamestown on the bench. When asked for a comment, the athletic department said they will follow up very soon.
For their next matchup, the Matadors will travel to Chicago State University on Nov. 14 to take on the Cougars before their home opener later in the week.
