The Matadors hosted Cal State Bakersfield (CSUB) in the Premier America Credit Union Arena on Thursday night for the first conference game of the season where they came out victorious 87-66.
CSUN’s win against CSUB (4-5 overall, 0-1 conference), led the Matador’s record to tie up at 4-4 overall, 1-0 conference.
The game began with CSUN getting the jump ball and forward Mahmoud Fofana driving in for a layup to score the first points of the game.
Although the Matadors struggled a bit down low in the first few minutes, this was quickly remedied as they got more physical and looked for threes. The Matadors went on to have 28 points in the paint, which is double what Bakersfield was able to put up under the rim.
CSUN head coach Andy Newman said Bakersfield had some tall players who were “good shot blockers,” but CSUN came out on top.
The two teams played tug of war in the first half and switched leads four times, with the score being tied up six different times.
With around seven minutes left in the first half, CSUN picked up the pace and had exciting back-to-back gameplay, starting with guard Larry Hughes II hitting a three to send the score to 22-19. Shortly after, Hughes stole the ball and assisted guard Joshua O’Garro who dunked, taking the score to a 24-19 CSUN lead.
Fofana and forward Grady Lewis both managed to gain one steal, each within the last five minutes of the game. Each earned possession led to the Matadors scoring.
With less than two minutes left in the first half, CSUN got yet another steal by guard James Evans Jr., who dished to guard Josiah Davis for a breakaway layup. Davis hit his free throw, which secured the team an eight-point lead.
Fofana scored twice to end the half, taking CSUN to 44 points against CSUB’s 32.
Forward Davius Loury opened up the second half with a three-point shot, but Bakersfield quickly followed with one themselves.
The win truly began to slip away from Bakersfield when Hughes hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to push CSUN into a 13-point lead.
As the game came to a close, Davis went coast to coast to score the last points of the game with a backward dunk.
“It was there, you know,” Davis said about his crowd pleasing showout dunk. “I had to get one because I missed two. … I was just trying to give the crowd something to enjoy.”
Newman praised Davis’s overall performance calling him one of the standout players.
“He’s so strong, he’s so tough and he’s so explosive,” Newman said. “We’re gonna go as he goes. Watching him today, he really drove the bus.”
Davis managed to secure eight assists, which tied the total number of assists seen from CSUB.
Newman also cited Hughes as a standout player, saying his strong shooting was fun to watch. Davis added to this notion and said, “Larry is such a good player; he makes the game easier for a lot of us.”
Hughes finished as the top scorer between both teams with 27 points and an impressive 41% three-point average, scoring five for his team. He also managed to grab four steals, doubling the most steals from anyone else on either team.
“Last game I didn’t like how I played defense, so I knew to come out and get some steals and create some turnovers,” Hughes said.
Hughes said he’s proud of his team, calling the game a“good bounce back win.”
The Matadors will continue conference play as they travel to UC Irvine to take on the Anteaters on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
