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Henderson Today
By the People, for the People
Matadors' season ends in loss to Anteaters
CSUN falls short in Big West Tournament semifinal
Mar. 15, 2026 at 6:39pm
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The CSUN Matadors' season came to an end on Friday night with a 93-78 loss to the UC Irvine Anteaters in the semifinals of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men's Basketball Championship. The Matadors struggled to overcome a slow start and were unable to cut into the Anteaters' double-digit lead in the second half.
Why it matters
CSUN had been one of the top teams in the Big West this season, finishing with back-to-back 20-win campaigns. The loss ends their hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but the team can still be proud of their successful season.
The details
The Anteaters jumped out to a quick 15-2 lead, with guard Jurian Dixon scoring 10 of those points. CSUN was able to cut the deficit to 7 points, but trailed by 12 at halftime. In the second half, the Matadors were unable to mount a serious comeback as UCI maintained a double-digit advantage. CSUN was dominated on the boards, getting outrebounded 44-26.
- The game was played on Friday, March 13, 2026 in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament.
The players
Andy Newman
Head coach of the CSUN Matadors.
Jurian Dixon
Guard for the UC Irvine Anteaters who scored 10 of the team's first 15 points.
Grady Lewis
Forward for the CSUN Matadors.
Larry Hughes II
Senior guard for the CSUN Matadors who was held scoreless on just two shot attempts.
James Evans Jr.
Freshman guard for the CSUN Matadors who scored 11 points in the first half.
What they’re saying
“Out of the 365 days of the year, this is my least favorite day of the year. I think the reason why I hate this day is because of that group you don't get to coach anymore. This group will always be special, pulling out 20 wins is an incredible thing in college basketball to be able to do.”
— Andy Newman, Head coach
“That was a tough start for us. It was a combination of us being a little flat; I didn't do a phenomenal job of getting our guys ready to play, apparently. I need to be better in that. You can't give a team like UC Irvine a 13-point lead and that was tough.”
— Andy Newman, Head coach
“Everybody did a really good job of face guarding him. That took him out of his comfort zone. But to Larry's credit, he played his butt off defensively. Larry had an incredibly unselfish game tonight, where he worked hard to get his teammates open. It's something that won't show up on the stat sheet. Of our 78 points, Larry was a big part of 35 to 40 of those points.”
— Andy Newman, Head coach
The takeaway
Despite the disappointing end to their season, the CSUN Matadors can be proud of their accomplishments this year, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns. The team will look to build on this success and make another run at the Big West title next season.
