The CSUN men’s basketball team picked up their first win of 2025 in convincing fashion as they traveled down to Orange County and took out Cal State Fullerton in a lopsided win on Thursday night.
The Matadors (10-4, 2-1) defeated the Titans (3-9, 0-3) 95-65 in CSUN head coach Andy Newman’s second trip back to Fullerton, a place he called home for more than 10 years when he coached at CSUF from 2003-13 as the lead assistant under legendary coach Bob Burton.
It was yet another productive night from CSUN forward Marcus Adams Jr. as he finished with a game-high of 20 points in the win. He shot an eye-popping 6-10 from behind the arc and ended his night shooting 6-12 from the field. Adams Jr. tacked on three steals, showing off his underrated defensive prowess.
The Matadors as a whole made 17 three-pointers, which tied a school record for most threes made in a game.
CSUN guard Scotty Washington had one of his best games of the season as he finished with 18 points. Washington has been uber-productive scoring the ball for the Matadors and this marks his seventh game where he has scored over 15 points.
Washington said the team as a whole wanted to come out and make a statement to begin conference play in 2025.
“I feel like in (the Big West) conference, this was a statement win,” Washington said. “We try to start every game defensively hard, so we went there and the offensive just flowed for us.”
The Matadors finished the game with 11 steals, which ties a season-high.
The junior guard added that the Matadors’ offense took what they were given and made the most of it.
“They were trying to pack the paint and that left shooters open, we work on our shots every day, so it’s nothing bad for us,” Washington noted.
Newman didn’t understate how big the win meant for the program to begin play in 2025.
“It’s huge, this is a huge win for us, a statement win for us,” Newman said. I think it shows us how good we can be, how good we are on the road and that we can win anywhere.
CSUN and CSUF were duking it out early to start the game as both teams exchanged quick buckets through the first six minutes of the game. The Matadors would use a 15-0 run to jump out to a 28-14 lead and from there, started to run away with the lead.
The Matadors would head into the half leading 60-26. The 60 points are the most scored in a half during the Newman era. It seemed as if CSUN would be on pace to break the century mark for the second time this season after going for 102 points in their Dec. 7 win over Cal Poly.
CSUN saw their lead balloon up to 42 points in the beginning of the second half, however, CSUF put together a much better second half. The Titans actually outscored CSUN, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough as the Matadors did enough to secure the 30-point win.
The Matadors will return back to the Premier America Credit Union Arena on Jan. 4 as they host UC Davis for their first home game of the new year. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and tipoff is at 3 p.m.
