FARGO, ND – The CSUN Matadors suffered a 79-64 setback against the North Dakota state Bison on Friday, concluding their road trip with a loss. The Matadors fell to 2-2 on the season, while North Dakota State improved to 1-2.
CSUN started strong, fueled by De’Sean Allen-Epps who scored nine of the Matadors’ first 14 points, bringing the score to 16-14. Back-to-back three-pointers from Atin Wright and Elijah Hughes then gave CSUN a 20-16 lead. After a 6-0 run by the Bison, CSUN responded with a 7-0 run of their own, sparked by a layup from Darius O’Garro. The Matadors closed the first half strong,holding North Dakota State without a field goal for the final 7:36 and building a 31-23 advantage. Baskets from Aleks Szymczyk and Loury contributed to the lead,while Szymczyk also added eight rebounds and six points off the bench. Despite shooting just 21.6 percent in the first half,North Dakota State stayed within striking distance by earning 16 trips to the free throw line,ultimately trailing 33-30 at halftime after a late basket from Szymczyk.
The Bison came out strong in the second half, scoring the first five points to take the lead. A layup from O’Garro briefly put CSUN ahead 37-35, but it proved to be the Matadors’ final lead of the night. North Dakota State responded with a series of baskets, extending their lead to 43-38 and eventually 51-42 with a dunk from Trevian Carson. A 10-2 run beginning at the nine-minute mark swelled the Bison’s lead to 69-50. While CSUN managed to reduce the deficit to 73-61, a 9-2 run from North Dakota State sealed the victory. A three-pointer from Riley Saunders in the final seconds completed a 60-point second half for the Bison.
“We defended better in the first half,” said CSUN Head Coach Andy Newman. “In the second half, we lost our way. We stopped guarding the ball and stopped rebounding. Giving up 60 points in a half, you’re not going to win a game doing that.”
CSUN shot 39.4 percent from the field, including 5-of-18 from three-point range (27.8 percent) and 11-of-16 from the free throw line (68.8 percent). North Dakota State finished at 39.5 percent improving to 56.4 percent in the second half, and made 10-of-39 three-pointers (25.6 percent) and 20-of-26 free throws (76.9 percent).The Matadors were out-rebounded 47-41 and committed 20 turnovers, resulting in a 25-9 scoring disadvantage in points off turnovers.
CSUN returns to Premier America Credit Union Arena on sunday to take on Troy at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
