Behind five in double figures, California State University, Northridge men’s basketball stunned UCLA 76-72 on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. Dionte Bostick poured in a team-high 18 points while De’Sean Allen-Eikens had 17 points. Mahmoud Fofana would also collect his first double-double of the season, registering 13 points and 11 rebounds and Gianni Hunt made his season debut by tallying 12 off the bench.

CSUN’s win snapped UCLA’s 29-game home winning streak at Pauley Pavilion. The Matadors also notched their second-ever win over UCLA and their first since Nov. 21, 2000.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UCLA took a 2-0 lead to start but the Matadors answered quickly with five-straight points. CSUN would post an 11-0 run in the early going, closed by a Gianni Hunt three for a 16-5 lead.

The Bruins eventually cut into the deficit, pulling to within 20-19 with 8:52 left in the first half, however, the Matadors were able to stay in front. Plagued with foul trouble and having to play most of the first half without Dearon Tucker and Jasman Sangha, CSUN turned to its bench for a spark. Mahmoud Fofana gave CSUN key minutes in the first half, scoring nine points while Hunt scored nine as well. Hunt would knock down a jumper to push the lead to 33-23 with under three minutes before halftime. In the final minute, Bryan Ndjonga came away with an offensive rebound followed by a jumper for a CSUN 40-26 lead at intermission.

CSUN scored the first five points of the second half to extend to its biggest lead of the night at 45-26. The Matadors would get a highlight reel dunk from Keonte Jones with 13:42 left to play, but a technical foul was then issued on Jones after the basket. From there, UCLA turned the tables and cut a 15-point deficit to three on a 12-0 run. De’Sean Allen-Eikens stopped the momentum for the moment with a key basket in the paint but the Bruins continued to chip away at the deficit and eventually pulled to within 57-56 on a Sebastian Mack jumper. On the next possession, Fofana gave CSUN some breathing room with a basket then Allen-Eikens followed with a timely three.

UCLA made it a 71-67 game on a Dylan Andrews three with under two minutes to play. Needing a basket, CSUN turned to Dionte Bostick who came away with a clutch jumper to extend to a six-point lead. The Bruins made one last surge in the final seconds, pulling to within 75-72 but Allen-Eikens made a free throw with three seconds on the clock to seal the win.

NOTES OF THE GAME

– CSUN improved to 8-3 on the season while UCLA falls to 5-5.

– The Matadors shot 46.6 percent from the floor while going 5-of-17 from three (29.4 percent) and 17-of-23 from the free throw line (73.9 percent). The Bruins finished shooting 37.0 percent for the game to go with making 9-of-24 threes (37.5 percent) and hitting 23-of-35 free throws (65.7 percent).

– CSUN out-rebounded UCLA 36-34 and led in points in the paint 34-20.

– With the win, CSUN posted its first Pac-12 victory since Dec. 21, 2012 when the Matadors beat Utah.

– CSUN’s eight wins this season have surpassed its win totals in each of the last two seasons.

– Keonte Jones also scored in double figures on the night, finishing with 12 points to go with three assists and three steals.

“So excited for our guys and the program,” said head coach Andy Newman. ‘They played their butts off. They were tough, physical and they earned it. Our guys really played great. I’m so excited about how tough they were. Our guys were not scared and they rose to the challenge. We basically played our brand of basketball.”

DIONTE BOSTICK POSTGAME COMMENTS
“It’s just making history. I can’t describe the feeling. I’m really excited that we won at UCLA. This is a very historic moment for this program. For us, I’m just enjoying the moment right now.”

UP NEXT
CSUN wraps up non-conference play on Friday afternoon with a home game with Montana State. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.