DATE & TIME: Thursday, January 4th, 10:05 p.m. (et).
FACTS & STATS: Site: Titan Gym (3,500) -- Fullerton, California.
Television: None. Home Record: CSN 4-1, CSF 6-0. Away Record: CSN 0-5, CSF 4-3.
Neutral Record: CSN 2-0, CSF 0-0. Conference Record: CSN 0-1, CSF 1-1. Series
Record: Cal State Fullerton leads, 28-23.
GAME NOTES: The Cal State Fullerton Titans kick off a three-game
homestand by hosting the Cal State Northridge Matadors in Big West Conference
action from Titan Gym tonight. The Titans had their five-game winning streak
stopped on the road on Saturday, as they suffered an 84-76 setback to UC Santa
Barbara. Despite the loss, CSF, at 10-3 overall, is still off to its best start
since the 1990-91 season. The team returns home where it is 6-0 this season and
has won 10 straight games dating back to the 2005-06 campaign. As for CSN, it
was last in action on Saturday when it suffered a 68-64 setback at Pacific in
its BWC opener. It was the second straight loss by the Matadors who fell to an
even 6-6 overall and 0-5 on the road. With regard to the all-time series, CSF
owns a 28-23 edge over CSN thanks to a five-game win streak over the Matadors.
The Matadors are one of the top scoring teams around, as they enter the game
averaging a healthy 80.8 ppg on 46.2 percent shooting from the field. Jonathan Heard currently leads the team in scoring (15.3 ppg) and he is also pulling down
5.0 rpg. Calvin Chitwood provides a nice complement and he is turning in 14.3
ppg and 4.7 rpg. In the team's last game, CSN's high powered attack was slowed
down as it made just 4-of-17 three-point attempts in a four-point loss to
Pacific. The team shot 43.6 percent from the floor, but allowed Pacific to hit
on 54.8 percent. Heard paced the squad in defeat with 16 points and three
rebounds.
Much like their opponent, the Titans have thrived at the offensive end of the
court this season, averaging an impressive 87.3 ppg on 47.3 percent shooting
form the field. Bobby Brown leads this explosive attack with a healthy 21.1 ppg
and he is also dishing out a team-high 5.1 apg. Scott Cutley has been a force in
the low post and he is nearly averaging a double-double with 15.9 ppg and a
club-best 9.0 rpg. Justin Burns adds 12.1 ppg and 6.8 rpg, while Frank Robinson
contributes 11.6 ppg and 5.2 apg. In the team's last outing, Cutley poured in 25
points and ripped down nine caroms, but it still wasn't enough for CSF in an
eight-point setback to UC Santa Barbara. Robinson chipped in with 13 points for
the Titans, who struggled from long range (5-of-20), in addition to allowing
UCSB to shoot 57.7 percent from the field.
Both teams can put a lot of points on the board so expect a fast paced and
entertaining affair. CSF, however, has the edge playing at home and with another
big offensive showing it should prevail tonight.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: CS Fullerton 92, CS Northridge 77
This story originally published on
The Sports Network.