The Matadors couldn’t wait to get out of Texas. For the second straight game in the Lone Star State, Cal State Northridge was defeated by a margin of at least 20 points and in a very similar manner.

The Matadors (0-2) were defeated by the Prairie View A’amp;M Lady Panthers (1-1) 78-58 Sunday afternoon in Prairie View.

Northridge sophomore Analee Viena-Lota led the Matadors offensive attack with 16 points She shot 7-of-15, including 2-of-3 beyond the three-point arc. She also brought in a team-high seven rebounds, with two of them coming on the offensive glass. Junior Kayla Rutherford was the team’s second leading scorer for the second straight game. She put in 10 points in just 14 minutes of action.

The Lady Panthers got a huge lift from junior guard Shondria Combs. Combs led all scorers, putting in 20 points on only eight attempts from the field. She made five, including a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point line and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Senior Chari Smith put in 14 total points, but wasn’t as efficient as Combs. Smith was 6-of-15 from the field.

For the Matadors, it was a tale of two halves offensively and defensively. Just as it had done in the season opener two nights before, Northridge started the game off quickly, taking an early lead. However as the half progressed the Lady Panthers were able to string a run together, much like the Rice Owls did to the Matadors Friday.

Prairie View took a 33-22 lead into the locker room. At the time, the Lady Panthers were shooting 42 percent while Northridge was shooting 31 percent.

The second half would see increased offense from both ends of the floor.

As the period got underway, each team traded makes and misses, keeping the Matadors from climbing back into the game. A few minutes into the half, Northridge was able to cut the lead down to eight, but that was as close as it would get.

Prairie View put in 45 points on 65 percent shooting in the second half while the Matadors scored 36 on 42 percent.

The back-breaker came midway through the second half. Viena-Lota capped off a 7-2 spurt with a three pointer from the corner to cut the lead to single digits. However, on the ensuing possession, Lady Panther junior Candice Thomas beat everyone down the floor for an easy layup to put the lead back into double digits for good. Prairie View’s lead ballooned up to as much as 26 points.

One of the coaching staff’s main concerns coming into the season was the ability to keep the opponent off the foul line. On Sunday the Lady Panthers got there 31 times, making 19 of them. The Matadors only took 10 foul shots, converting on seven of them.

Northridge was dominated under the basket in more ways than one. It was outscored 40-20 in points in the paint, and out rebounded 45-29 in the contest.

The Matadors return back to California for their home opener on Wednesday. They will host the San Diego Toreros at The Matadome at 7 p.m.