CSUN buries Cal State Fullerton with record-tying 3-point barrage

FULLERTON — One of the most impressive shooting halves in program history helped the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team blow out Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.

The Matadors tied a program single-game record with 17 3-point baskets – 15 in the first half – and crushed the Titans, 95-65, in a Big West Conference game at Titan Gym. Marcus Adams Jr. made six 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 20 points, Scotty Washington made four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, Grady Lewis added 15 points and six rebounds and Tyler Beard had a season-high 11 points.

CSUN (10-4 overall, 2-1 Big West), which rode its hot shooting to a 24-point halftime lead, also feasted on 22 Fullerton turnovers for a 28-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

Donovan Oday had 15 points and six rebounds to lead Fullerton (5-10, 0-3). Kaleb Brown had 14 points, and Kobe Young added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Titans, who shot 7 for 19 from behind the arc.

Fullerton led 14-11 with 14:57 left in the first half, when CSUN took off on a 22-0 run to take control. A Beard 3-pointer gave CSUN a 16-14 lead, then Adams followed with one on the next possession. CSUN drew a charge then Jordan Brinson made another 3-pointer. Two more defensive stops led to Matador 3-pointers for a 30-14 lead and Washington made another 3-pointer to cap the blitz as the Matadors held the Titans without a point for nearly seven full minutes during the run.

Adams made another 3-pointer at the 7-minute mark followed by two more from Washington to extend the lead. Keonte Jones and Judson Martindale concluded the final minute of the first half with 3-pointers as CSUN rode its 49-12 surge to a commanding 60-26 halftime lead. The Matadors shot 57% from the field (20 for 35) in the opening 20 minutes, going 15 for 27 from behind the arc.

“That was the best basketball on both sides of the floor. A comprehensive effort,” CSUN coach Andy Newman said. “Defensively, a phenomenal job from switching, talking and trapping in the post. And offensively, we did an incredible job of guys sharing the ball and really being patient – turning down OK shots to get a teammate a great shot and you saw the result. That’s got to be one of the best shooting halves in school history. Certainly, one of the best since I’ve been coaching.”

A 13-3 run to open the second half gave the Matadors their biggest lead of the night at 75-33. Fullerton tried to battle back with a 12-2 run to pull to within 77-45 with 8:57 left to go but was never able to mount much of a comeback beyond that.

The Matadors tied the school single-game record for 3-pointers with 39 seconds left when Robert Thibiant made the first basket of his college career.

CSUN shot 17 for 39 (43.6%) from behind the arc for the night. Eight Matadors made at least one 3-point shot, with Adams going 6 for 10 and Washington shooting 4 for 13. Beard was 2 for 2.

The Matadors tied the mark first set on Feb. 21, 1998 against Sacramento State.

UP NEXT

Fullerton hosts UC San Diego on Saturday at 6 p.m. CSUN hosts UC Davis on Saturday at 3 p.m.