CSUN’s Raymond Cody led all scorers with 18 points and teammate Willie Galick chipped in with nine as the Matadors extended their winning streak over UC Riverside to 12 games with a 63-47 victory Thursday night at UCR’s Student Recreation Center.

“You got to give credit to coach (Bobby) Braswell because he prepares us well to come play,” Galick said.

Cody, who went a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point distance, set the tone early for the Matadors (9-13, 4-5 Big West), scoring 15 of his points in the first half.

“I’ve been feeling good all year,” he said. “I just haven’t been shooting the ball like I wanted to. Tonight, the coaches had confidence in me.”

As a team, the Matadors shot well, making 10 of 19 three-point attempts. For the Highlanders (8-14, 2-8), it was a different story. They went 6-of-22 in 3-pointers (27.3 percent).

The Highlanders didn’t limit their terrible shooting to beyond the three-point line, they also shot it poorly from inside it. UCR was 9-of-28 in non-3-pointers, resulting in 15-for-50 overall shooting (30 percent).

“It’s two games in a row that our defense has been good,” Braswell said. “We did a good job matching up.”

Besides scoring, Cody did his part on the defensive side by getting two of CSUN’s 12 steals.

“When I’m playing good defense, my offense is going to come,” Cody said. “Defensely, I try to give a good effort, and good things come out of it.”

The Matadors’ aggressive defense forced the Highlanders into 17 turnovers.

The Highlanders only received offensive production from forward Kyle Austin, who had a team-high 17 points, and guard Larry Gurganious, who had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

And all of a sudden the Matadors, who’ve won their last two games, have some momentum as they head into the Pyramid to face Long Beach State on Saturday night. The 49ers beat CSUN by a point at the Matadome last Thursday.

Galick is looking forward for another opportunity to beat Long Beach State.  

“I can’t wait,” he said. “Saturday can’t come soon enough.”