Warrior Insider

A two-man show for CSUN stole the spotlight from the University of Hawai’i’s “Senior Night” on Saturday. Terrell Gomez scored 32 points and Lamine Diane added 25 to lead the Matadors to an 84-73 Big West Conference victory over the Rainbow Warriors at the Stan Sheriff Center.

CSUN improved to 13-18 overall and 7-7 in the Big West. Hawai’i dropped to 16-12 and 7-7 with its third consecutive loss. CSUN, Hawai’i and UC Davis are now tied for fourth place in the conference.

Jack Purchase scored 20 points, all in the first half, to lead the Warriors. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in his final home game at UH. Fellow seniors Brocke Stepteau and Sheriff Drammeh were honored with Purchase after the game.

Drew Buggs, who was considered questionable prior to the game due to an ankle injury, finished with 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Stepteau and Zigmars Raimo added 10 points each.

The Warriors opened the game by shooting 4 for 5 from the field, including two 3-pointers by Purchase to jump to a 10-6 lead. The Matadors responded with a 12-0 surge to take an 18-10 lead, and they stayed in front the rest of the first half.

CSUN led by as many as 10 in the first half, and eventually took a 39-34 lead at intermission. Purchase kept the Warriors close in the first half with his 20 points, including 6-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.

CSUN’s Diane, the leading scorer in the Big West, scored 14 points in just nine minutes of the first half. He remained on the bench for the final six minutes of the half after picking up his third foul.

The Warriors caught the Matadors early in the second half, when a 3-pointer by Stansberry put Hawai’i back on top, 45-44, with 16:01 remaining.

The game stayed close the rest of the way. The score was tied at 60 with 7:30 remaining, but CSUN’s Gomez then scored six consecutive points to give the Matadors the lead for good.

The Warriors will close the regular season with two road games – March 7 at UC Davis, then Mach 9 at Cal State Fullerton.

More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.

Big West Conference
Saturday’s Results
UC Irvine 68, at UC Riverside 47
at Long Beach State 94, Cal Poly 85
at UC Davis 66, Cal State Fullerton 59
CSUN 84, at Hawai’I 73