CSUN came into Thursday night’s quarterfinal matchup of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men’s Basketball Championship with a disadvantage, having lost three of their final four games to end the regular season. The Matadors changed their luck in Henderson, Nevada, against UC San Diego at the Lee’s Family Forum with an 80-70 victory.
CSUN head coach Andy Newman discussed the team’s end-of-season performance.
“Sometimes the results don’t always reflect your play,” Newman said. “Then a couple of possessions don’t go your way, it was all fixable stuff. So, we just knew, hey, we’re good, we know what we’re doing. Stay with how we play and good things will happen.”
The Matadors swept the Tritons in conference play during the regular season for the first time in program history.
CSUN looked like a completely different team in the first few minutes of the game. Throughout the first 10 minutes, it was senior guard Larry Hughes II’s time to shine, starting 3-4 from the field.
While the Tritons struggled to shoot from the field, starting the game 4-17, CSUN did not take advantage of the early shooting struggles.
In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the game shifted in favor of the Tritons. At the 9:39 mark, UCSD took its first lead of the game off a three-pointer from guard Tom Beattie.
The Matadors quickly regained the lead, however, UCSD didn’t look back in the final eight minutes of play. Endured by multiple scoring droughts and turnovers, followed by poor defensive possessions, CSUN saw themselves down 36-32 at the half.
Newman, in his opening statement, paid tribute to the guys for staying together despite being down in the first half.
Hughes led the way for the Matadors at the halfway point, scoring 17 points on 50% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Big West player of the year senior guard Josiah Davis was held to just three points on 1-3 shooting, adding six assists to his first-half performance.
The first four minutes of the second half saw the Matadors fall behind as much as nine points, after a converted three-point play from Beattie.
At the 15-minute mark, the Matadors faced a 46-38 deficit. Just like the team has done all season long, they found their way back into the game. Over the course of the next five minutes, CSUN went on a 13-3 run to take a 51-49 lead.
The Matadors took their largest lead of the game with four minutes left by a score of 67-61. Hughes hit five field goals in a row and earned a new season-high of 34 points scored in a game.
That would be all the scoring for Hughes as UCSD adjusted their defense to take him away offensively. It did not work for the Tritons, and instead worked in the Matadors’ favor, creating a 4-on-4 situation that allowed CSUN’s offense to flourish and maintain their lead.
As the clock struck zero, the Matadors moved on to their first semifinal appearance since 2014. Davis turned it on late, finishing with 14 points and nine assists, along with guard Joshua O’Garro finishing with 15 points of his own.
Davis spoke about his huge second-half performance.
“Coaches tell us to play free. Whatever situation comes to me, I just choose to adapt to it, whether that’s passing the ball, getting a bucket down the stretch.” Davis said. “But honestly, just letting the game come to me, not trying to force anything and let the game come to me.”
CSUN is set to face UC Irvine in a highly anticipated rematch Friday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at Lee’s Family Forum.
“To be the best, you have to beat the best,” Newman said.
