After a strong 2-0 start, the Matadors (4-3) look  to bounce back at home against San Francisco (4-3) Wednesday night after losing three out of their last five.

CSUN last lost 73-63 on the road against San Jose State, which saw Northridge get outrebounded 47-38 while giving up a 43.3 shooting percentage.

Head coach Jason Flowers, who has preached defense since taking over the team three years ago, said his team sometimes loses track of that on a game-to-game basis.

“(Defense and rebounding are) always first and foremost, and sometimes we take it for granted,” Flowers said. “Regardless of what sport it is, if you play defense and minimize mistakes, then you have a chance to win every game you play.”

CSUN’s offense was bottled up against the Spartans as the Matadors hit only 6 of their 25 shots from downtown.

“We got good shots, and we missed a lot of them,” Flowers said.  “That’s why teams that win championships play defense and rebound because those two things will get you through when you have a tough night offensively.”