The CSUN men’s basketball team found immense success against UC Santa Barbara during the regular season, sweeping the Gauchos for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Yet, in the biggest game of the season, it was No. 5 UCSB who got the final laugh as they upset No. 4 CSUN 78-72 in Thursday’s Big West Basketball Championship quarterfinal matchup.
This was a tough result for the Matadors, who played most of the game without their leading scorer, Marcus Adams Jr.
The sophomore forward suffered an ankle injury with approximately four minutes left in the first half. Adams briefly returned in the second half but could not finish the game. He scored two points, five rebounds, and three assists in 19 minutes of play.
After the loss, CSUN coach Andy Newman reflected on what this year has entailed for the Matadors.
“[I’m] really proud of our guys and the effort they gave and what they’ve done to this school, this program and for themselves,” Newman said. “Setting school records; that says a lot. It’s huge. The effort, tenacity, focus and the sacrifice to do something – like, it’s huge – and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Matadors were hampered by a poor offensive start. Even with Adams on the court, CSUN only scored 26 points in the first 16:02 of the first half.
When Adams checked out with an injury, UCSB limited the Matadors to only two points in the final four minutes of the first half.
“Somebody’s got to step up and pull the weight of your leading scorer going down, which is hard to do. And I think we felt a little bit of that obviously,” Newman said. “It’s tough to win a game when your leading scorer goes out.”
In lieu of Adams’ absence, CSUN relied on their team leader, Keonte Jones, to pick up the slack. Jones recorded his 14th double-double of the season in the loss, tying at No. 8 in the program’s history for double-doubles in a season.
“You could see his competitive desire tonight. He wanted to win. It means a lot to him,” Newman said. “He’s very passionate about the game of basketball, passionate about winning. He competes his butt off, so when Marcus [Adams Jr.] went down, he knew he needed to step up and he did.”
Jones ended his night with 19 points on 6-8 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds.
Despite finishing the first half with only 28 points, the Matadors stepped up their offense considerably at the top of the second half, outscoring the Gauchos 44-43.
The Matadors battled back and brought the game within a three-point deficit with 48 seconds left but could not complete their comeback effort as CSUN turned the ball over with 19 seconds left, sealing their fate.
CSUN ends their season with a 22-10 record, tying the all-time win mark previously set in the 2000-01 season. However, the Matadors’ season may not be finished, as multiple postseason tournaments, such as the CIT and CBI, could consider extending the team a bid. Brackets for all postseason tournaments will drop on Sunday, March 16.
