An 18-1 second-half run propelled California State University, Northridge past Cal Poly 65-55 in the Big West women’s basketball opener for both teams Thursday night at Premier America Credit Union Arena.

FIRST HALF
Nikola Kovacikova’s four-point play keyed a Mustangs’ 10-0 run midway through the opening 10 minutes. Cal Poly led 17-12 at the end of the period. Cal Poly took their largest lead of the first half at 7:24 of the second when Kovacikova connected on a three-pointer. However, the Matadors battled back, allowing only one more Mustangs’ field goal in the first half Matadors outscored Cal Poly 6-0 over the final 3+ minutes to tie the score at 25 at halftime.

SECOND HALF
CSUN opened the second half with a four-point lead before the Mustangs came back to tie it at 34 midway through the frame. Coming out of the media timeout, Annika Shah put Cal Poly up 37-35 with a three-pointer. Laney Amundsen kick started the game-changing run with a three-pointer deep in the left corner on the ensuing CSUN possession. Jordyn Jackson recorded four consecutive points to increase the lead to 42-37. Cal Poly called time out with 1:58 to go in the period. Anaiyah Tu’ua tallied back-to-back field goals to push the spurt to 11-0 as the period ended with CSUN leading 46-37.

A Jazzy Anousinh free throw a little under 90 seconds into the fourth quarter broke the Cal Poly drought, making it 49-38., CSUN pushed the run to 18-1 with field goals from Jackson and Michelle Duchemin, taking their largest game lead at 53-38. Shah sank three three-pointers over the next three minutes to help Cal Poly draw to within nine, 58-49, at the 5:54 mark. Duchemin charted four of the next seven Matadors’ points as CSUN increased the advantage to 12 with 69 seconds to go. A pair of Maddie Willett free throws with 17 seconds remaining was the final points of the night, making the last 65-55.

THE STATS
CSUN limited Cal Poly to 27.8% shooting for the game (15-54). The Matadors were 15-of-28 in the second half (53.5%) from the field and 49% (25-of-51) for the game. The Matadors outrebounded the Mustangs 38-30. CSUN committed 22 turnovers, while Cal Poly made 21 turnovers.

Four Matadors scored in double figures, led by Tess Amundsen, who scored 13. She grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots. Tu’ua scored 11 points, dished out a game-high six assists, and made three steals. Macy Smith and Duchemin both scored 10 points. Shah led all scorers with 23 points for the Mustangs. Willett scored 10 points for Cal Poly.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CARLENE MITCHELL
“I am proud of our team. We had four players score in double figures, and we turned the ball over a little too much but give credit to the Cal Poly defense for that. Hopefully, we can build off tonight’s efforts and put together back-to-back good games. In the Big West, winning at home is critical.”

NOTES
CSUN, which had missed only five free throws in its previous three games, missed eight against Cal Poly (11-19)…Cal Poly is one of CSUN’s oldest rivals, dating back to the start of the series in 1975; the teams have played 84 times, with the Matadors leading the all-time series 44-40…Cal Poly dropped to 3-6 overall, playing their first game since Dec. 10 due to Health and Safety Protocols.

UP NEXT
CSUN (2-9, 1-0 Big West) host Cal State Fullerton (5-5, 0-1 Big West) Saturday afternoon. Coverage on ESPN+ begins at 2 p.m. with Jill Painter Lopez on the call.