LOS ANGELES, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball dropped a 90-69 decision to hot-shooting USC at the Galen Center on Wednesday evening. Keonte Jones recorded his sixth double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds while PJ Fuller II added 17 points with four made threes. CSUN kept pace with USC throughout the first half, trailing by one at the break, but the Trojans broke the game open with a big second half behind seven 3-pointers. HOW IT HAPPENEDAfter CSUN took a brief 1-0 lead at the free throw line to start, USC scored on its first two possessions to jump in front. The Trojans were hot to begin the game, making six of their first seven shots to stake to a 13-8 lead at the first media timeout. Marcus Adams Jr. scored on a drive in the lane to pull the Matadors to within three, but USC answered with back-to-back threes from Chibuzo Agbo and Wesley Yates III. Desmond Claude added another bucket at the 13:54 mark, completing a 9-0 run for a 22-10 advantage, as USC made nine of its first 10 shots. The Matadors though would battle back behind some hot shooting from Fuller. After back-to-back threes, Fuller brought CSUN to within 22-16.The Matadors' defense began to create turnovers as two consecutive takeaways turned to CSUN points. Fuller nailed another three to pull CSUN closer at 29-25 with 8:25 on the clock. Each team traded baskets before Festus Ndumanya converted on an and-one three-point play, cutting the deficit to 35-34. CSUN gained three defensive stops in succession then grabbed the lead on a Jones drive to the hoop. Over the last two minutes of the half, the score was deadlocked at 37-37 until Mahmoud Fofana gave CSUN a two-point edge on a tip-in layup with 13 ticks on the clock. USC though had an answer as Kevin Patton Jr. drained a three at the horn, giving USC a 40-39 edge at the break.Out of intermission, the Trojans kept up their hot shooting from beyond the arc including two early threes in an 8-0 run. Fofana ended that run with a score down low while CSUN pulled to within 50-44 on an Adams tip in. The Matadors inched closer on a Fuller traditional three-point play, cutting the deficit to 54-49 with 13:20 to go. USC would have an answer as Saint Thomas hit a three, and following a CSUN turnover, Thomas drained another from long range to extend the lead to double digits. Desmond Claude also finished a three-point play to put the Matadors in a 63-49 hole. Once again, Fofana stopped a USC run with a basket, but the Trojans picked up another three, this time from Agbo. Claude added one more three at the 6:47 mark before hitting two from the free throw line for a 75-55 lead. CSUN trailed by as many as 25 points down the stretch but kept up the fight until the final buzzer. Jalen Barbee gave CSUN solid minutes in the final stages of the game, scoring a pair of baskets while Grady Lewis connected for a late three-point play. NOTES OF THE GAME CSUN slips to 7-4 on the season while USC improves to 8-4. The Matadors shot 40.7 percent for the game while making 5-of-20 from three (25.0 percent) and 16-of-19 from the free throw line (84.2 percent). The Trojans finished shooting 46.9 percent while hitting 12-of-19 from long range (63.2 percent) and 32-of-39 free throws (82.1 percent). On the glass, CSUN out-rebounded USC 35-29. The Matadors also led 36-18 in points in the paint. The trio of Fofana, Lewis and Ndumanya scored six points each. Along with his double-double, Jones finished with team highs in assists (4), blocks (3) and steals (2). ACCORDING TO COACH ANDY NEWMAN"I thought our guys battled hard, we just couldn't score in the second half. We lost a lot of momentum there. We were fired up and ready to play. It was a fun first half, and then in the second half, we just couldn't score. I think that's something we're going to have to key on, scoring down the stretch. It hurt us against Riverside, and it hurt us tonight."UP NEXTCSUN returns to Premier America Credit Union Arena on Saturday morning to take on Chicago State. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call.#GoMatadorsPrint Friendly Version Read Full Article

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—CSUN Men’s Basketball dropped a 90-69 decision to hot-shooting USC at the Galen Center on Wednesday evening. Keonte Jones recorded his sixth double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds while PJ Fuller II added 17 points with four made threes. CSUN kept pace with USC throughout the first half, trailing […]

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—CSUN Men’s Basketball dropped a 90-69 decision to hot-shooting USC at the Galen Center on Wednesday evening. Keonte Jones recorded his sixth double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds while PJ Fuller II added 17 points with four made threes. CSUN kept pace with USC throughout the first half, trailing by one at the break, but the Trojans broke the game open with a big second half behind seven 3-pointers.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After CSUN took a brief 1-0 lead at the free throw line to start, USC scored on its first two possessions to jump in front. The Trojans were hot to begin the game, making six of their first seven shots to stake to a 13-8 lead at the first media timeout. Marcus Adams Jr. scored on a drive in the lane to pull the Matadors to within three, but USC answered with back-to-back threes from Chibuzo Agbo and Wesley Yates III. Desmond Claude added another bucket at the 13:54 mark, completing a 9-0 run for a 22-10 advantage, as USC made nine of its first 10 shots. The Matadors though would battle back behind some hot shooting from Fuller. After back-to-back threes, Fuller brought CSUN to within 22-16.

The Matadors’ defense began to create turnovers as two consecutive takeaways turned to CSUN points. Fuller nailed another three to pull CSUN closer at 29-25 with 8:25 on the clock. Each team traded baskets before Festus Ndumanya converted on an and-one three-point play, cutting the deficit to 35-34. CSUN gained three defensive stops in succession then grabbed the lead on a Jones drive to the hoop. Over the last two minutes of the half, the score was deadlocked at 37-37 until Mahmoud Fofana gave CSUN a two-point edge on a tip-in layup with 13 ticks on the clock. USC though had an answer as Kevin Patton Jr. drained a three at the horn, giving USC a 40-39 edge at the break.

Out of intermission, the Trojans kept up their hot shooting from beyond the arc including two early threes in an 8-0 run. Fofana ended that run with a score down low while CSUN pulled to within 50-44 on an Adams tip in. The Matadors inched closer on a Fuller traditional three-point play, cutting the deficit to 54-49 with 13:20 to go. USC would have an answer as Saint Thomas hit a three, and following a CSUN turnover, Thomas drained another from long range to extend the lead to double digits. Desmond Claude also finished a three-point play to put the Matadors in a 63-49 hole. Once again, Fofana stopped a USC run with a basket, but the Trojans picked up another three, this time from Agbo. Claude added one more three at the 6:47 mark before hitting two from the free throw line for a 75-55 lead. CSUN trailed by as many as 25 points down the stretch but kept up the fight until the final buzzer. Jalen Barbee gave CSUN solid minutes in the final stages of the game, scoring a pair of baskets while Grady Lewis connected for a late three-point play.

NOTES OF THE GAME

CSUN slips to 7-4 on the season while USC improves to 8-4.
The Matadors shot 40.7 percent for the game while making 5-of-20 from three (25.0 percent) and 16-of-19 from the free throw line (84.2 percent). The Trojans finished shooting 46.9 percent while hitting 12-of-19 from long range (63.2 percent) and 32-of-39 free throws (82.1 percent).
On the glass, CSUN out-rebounded USC 35-29. The Matadors also led 36-18 in points in the paint.
The trio of Fofana, Lewis and Ndumanya scored six points each.
Along with his double-double, Jones finished with team highs in assists (4), blocks (3) and steals (2).

ACCORDING TO COACH ANDY NEWMAN
“I thought our guys battled hard, we just couldn’t score in the second half. We lost a lot of momentum there. We were fired up and ready to play. It was a fun first half, and then in the second half, we just couldn’t score. I think that’s something we’re going to have to key on, scoring down the stretch. It hurt us against Riverside, and it hurt us tonight.”

UP NEXT
CSUN returns to Premier America Credit Union Arena on Saturday morning to take on Chicago State. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. on ESPN+ with Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister on the call.

#GoMatadors

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