It was a pivotal game for Cal State Northridge. The formula was simple: win and you're in. With the loss by Cal State Fullerton earlier on Saturday, the Matadors could clinch the eighth and final spot in the Big West tournament by beating UC Riverside Saturday night. The Matadors did just that with a 83-76 win over the Highlanders (14-14, 7-7 Big West). Cal State Northridge (9-22, 4-11 Big West) got to the foul line 35 times, making 27 of them and had two players score 20-plus points. Here's five things we learned from the matchup:
Bull in a china shop
Reggie Theus calls Aaron Parks his "little bull in a china shop." Parks played like that and more Saturday. There was simply no one wearing a UC Riverside uniform who could guard the CSUN sophomore. The Baltimore native was able to get to the basket with ease on his way to a career night of 29 points, including 19-23 from the free-throw line off of the bench.
Hicks finishes strong
It's not how you start, it's how you finish. The senior finished strong playing in his final game in the Matadome. After scoring just three points in the first half, Hicks finished with 20 points on senior night, looking every bit like the all-time leading scorer in school history.
Long Beach State remembers the Jerry Tarkanian era
Elliot the eraser
Another senior having a big night for the Matadors was Devonte Elliot. His impact has been huge on the offensive end with his ability to stretch the floor and open things up inside for Stephen Maxwell but it was on the defensive end where Elliot was, simply, a force on Saturday night. He finished the game with five blocked shots.
Big at heart
You can call them 6-10 guys in 6-7 bodies. Two of the best undersized bigs in the conference, UCR junior Taylor Johns and CSUN's Stephen Maxwell, went toe-to-toe inside the Matadome. Playing in front of his high school coach, Maxwell finished the game with 10 points and nine rebounds. There was plenty to celebrate for him with a Matadors win, clinching the 8th spot in the Big West Tournament, and to do it on senior night. Johns finished with a game-high 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the loss.
Bland fires away
He's consistently been a high volume three-point shooter for most of the season, and that didn't change on Saturday night. UC Riverside guard Jaylen Bland was 4-11 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points in the game. The 11 attempts aren't even the most he's taken in a game this season. Bland twice shot 13 three pointers in a game this year.
