The Cal State Northridge women’s basketball team (1-2) captured its first victory Friday night on the road, but it did not come easy. They were able to come away with a narrow one-point victory against San Jose State, 62-61.
The Matadors have struggled in their first two games of games the season because they unravel at key times during the game.
However, this time the Matadors learned from their past mistakes and did not hang their heads when something went wrong.
CSUN was tied with San Jose State at the half, 29-29. The Matador women started the second half on a bad note by falling behind on the scoreboard.
The Matadors did not get down on themselves because of turnovers but instead decided to go after the victory. They did not make the comeback by shooting well from the field because they only shot 38 percent for the game.
Nor did the Matadors make their return by shooting three-pointers. The team shot 41 percent from downtown.
Also, they had only shot a decent 76 percent from the free throw line. So, how did the Matadors make a comeback after an 11-2 run midway through the second period? They did it by tough individual play and second-chance opportunities.
Jasmine Erving, who played like a true center, had 21 points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Freshman Janelle Nomura had a complete all-around game. She had 15 points, one 3-pointer, three offensive rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Both Erving and Nomura were contributing factors to the key run in the second half.
The rest of the Matadors helped with getting key put-backs. The team finished with 12 second-chance points.
Furthermore, the Matadors built a 53-45 point lead with their run. However, the game was far from over.
San Jose State made one last run. Players like Chasity Shavers and Britney Bradley both had huge games against the Matadors. Shavers finished with 11 points, and Bradley finished with 10 points.
They helped close the gap to one point in the final minutes of the game. The score was 62-61, and with 7.4 seconds left, guard Katrina Thompson was fouled. She missed the one-and-one at the free throw line.
San Jose State grabbed the rebound, and Shavers’ half-court buzzer beater was no good.
“It was a good win”, says head coach Staci Schulz. “It was good to get the ball rolling, and we have the potential to be a good team. However, we are better than a one-point win.”
“It was kind of tense out there. Missing from the free throw line made it scary,” Nomura said.
Most coaches want the game to be close in the fourth quarter on the road, and that is exactly what happened in this game.
The Matadors continue their two-game road trip at the University of San Diego Tuesday night. Tip is planned for 7 p.m.
