After what appeared to be a game that would come down to the wire, the CSUN Matadors fell short 90-77 in their season finale against the Cal State Fullerton Titans at the Premier America Credit Union Arena on Saturday night. With this loss, the Matadors fall to 12-8 in league play (19-13 overall) and are fourth in the Big West.
For the Titans, this win improved them to 12-8 in the Big West (17-15 overall) and third overall in the league. They move ahead of the Matadors, having swept them in the regular season.
Both teams will compete in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men’s Basketball Championship and have a bye for the first round.
At the start of the game, things were shaky for both teams, with a lot of loose balls and shots not falling. Within the first half, both teams shot poorly as both teams shot 36% and 37%.
Even with poor play, the Matadors and the Titans kept it close throughout the first half and slowly picked up the pace.
A buzzer beater three-point shot by Titan guard Kiwane Garis Jr allowed Cal State Fullerton to retake the lead 39-36 at halftime. The star of the show for the Titans was guard Christian Willams, who was lights out with shooting in the first half.
Within the second half, the game continued to go back and forth, with multiple ties and lead changes keeping fans in the arena on the edge of their seats. In total, there were six ties and 13 lead changes throughout the game.
This trend continued for the first 15 minutes in the first half, but the Titans once again found a way to catch fire. The Matadors’ defense and poor passes led to multiple runs from the Titans, including a 15-0 run that essentially sealed the game.
Leading scorers for the Titans included Willams with 23 points off of 53% from the field. Another leading scorer was Garris Jr. who had 20 points off of 66% from the field.
For the Matadors, leading scorers included guard Josiah Davis who had a double-double with 21 points of 44% field goal percentage and 13 assists. Secondly, guard Larry Hughes II also had 21 points off of 46 % from the field. Hughes said there still needs to be improvement before the Matadors head to Henderson.
“We got to be strong with the ball,” Hughes said. “It was a sad loss but, you know, we still got the Big West Tournament.”
Davis also had similar thoughts on what the team needs to do in order to prepare for the playoffs.
“Just being able to lockdown on defense … is what matters most for the tournament,” Davis said.
A positive note for the Matadors was that it was Senior Night. The senior players represented were guards Robert Thibiant, Joshua O’Garro, Davis, Jordan Brinson, center Grady Lewis and Forward Mahmoud Fofana.
Davis said it was nice seeing his family support him.
“It’s good to just have them here and having them watch me play for the first time in a long time, especially my brothers and my cousins,” Davis said. “Just to have them here is special to me.”
Hughes also commented on his senior teammates who were recognized at the start of the game.
“Felt great seeing all these guys get what they deserve,” Hughes said. “It’s my first year but, you know, I built a really strong connection with these guys.”
CSUN’s next game will come in the postseason, where they will face off against either fifth seed UC San Diego or eighth seed Cal Poly on Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at Lee’s Family Forum. All games will be broadcast across ESPN networks.
