The men’s basketball team hosted Fresno State in the Premier America Credit Union Arena on Wednesday night. The Matadors took an 89-87 win after CSUN guard Josiah Davis hit a last second three, securing the victory over the Bulldogs.
The win is big for the Matadors, as the game marked the first time the program faced Fresno. The Bulldogs are in the Mountain West Conference, which is typically considered a tougher conference than CSUN’s Big West Conference.
“To get Fresno to come in here and to beat them speaks volumes about where this program is and who we can compete with,” head coach Andy Newman said.
Fresno came strong out of the gates from the perimeter with all 15 of their first points coming from threes. However, Newman remained consistent in his defense, saying that CSUN needed to “weather the storm.”
The team was able to catch up with layups and forced a lot of Bulldog turnovers, ultimately slowing down Fresno’s momentum as Newman predicted.
Fresno’s biggest lead of the night was with five points within the first few minutes of the game, but halfway through the first period, CSUN was able to tie up the score.
CSUN guard Joshua O’Garro made big strides when he stole an inbound pass immediately after guard Larry Hughes II scored, securing another two points for CSUN. Forward Davius Loury hit a three shortly after, which secured CSUN’s lead as they ended the half up by 10.
The Bulldogs came back from halftime strong and went on a slight offensive run as CSUN’s defensive efforts lacked a bit.
“The second you get comfortable in a Division I basketball game, the other team’s gonna come storming back,” Newman said.
Around halfway through the second period, Fresno tied up the score at 59-59. Davis got sent to the line in back-to-back possessions. Hitting both sets of free throws helped CSUN secure their lead again.
The Bulldogs then briefly tried a full court press against the Matadors, but their efforts did not pay off and they quickly abandoned this strategy.
O’Garro continued the momentum with his defensive rebounds, often flying in from the outside to grab a ball off the rim. At one point, he managed to pull himself off the ground from a previous loose ball to immediately catch an assist from a stolen ball, dunking and sending fans screaming.
“Just attack, attack, attack,” O’Garro said. “It’s one of those games where you gotta keep going even though people are tired. Like, if I keep going, I’ll bring somebody up with me.”
O’Garro said that facing a team like Fresno had him “praying to Jesus tonight.” The intense desire to win brought out the competitor in him. He ended the game with 23 points and 11 rebounds, further securing his chances of ending the season by averaging a double-double.
After a few exciting moments, Fresno was able to score, which put them up by one point with only six seconds left.
CSUN called a time out and drew up a play for O’Garro, but as it turns out, a different player would end up scoring the final shot.
“My first three of the season,” said Davis about his game winning shot. “For it to be that one and to get the guys a win it just means a lot.”
O’Garro was originally aiming for a shot down low but made the last-second pass after hearing Davis call for the ball from the top of the key when his man had sagged off.
“He didn’t hesitate or anything,” O’Garro said. “He just let it go … it felt so good.”
Davis said that threes are not his strong suit but that he trusted himself, especially because of work he’s been putting in at practice.
“I just knew when I caught the ball I was gonna let it go,” Davis said. “The work has been paying off so might as well let it fly.”
Although the Bulldogs had two seconds to respond to the shot, they were unable to get one off themselves, solidifying the Matadors a win.
A win against a tough team like Fresno looks great for the Matadors as they prepare for the rest of the season, especially conference games.
CSUN will be on the road for their next game as they are set to play Delaware on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
