Northridge, CA – On Senior Night at Premier America Credit Union Arena, the Cal State University Northridge Matadors overcame a sluggish first half to power past the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors 82-73 in their regular-season finale. A dominant second-half surge, fueled by PJ Fuller II’s early scoring burst and Tyler Beard’s all-around play, propelled CSUN (22-9, 14-6 Big West) to a top-four seed and a first-round bye in the Big West Tournament. Meanwhile, Hawai’i (15-16, 7-13) saw its season come to an end.
First Half: Hawai’i Dictates the Pace, CSUN Struggles to Find Rhythm
The Matadors controlled the tip, and Marcus Adams Jr. wasted no time, hitting a quick floater to put CSUN on the board. But the Rainbow Warriors showed no fear, responding with early defensive pressure and a deep three-pointer from Tom Beattie to grab the lead.
Hawai’i’s Tanner Christensen (8 points, 6 rebounds) established himself inside, making life difficult for the Matadors at the rim. Meanwhile, Akira Jacobs provided instant offense off the bench, finishing with 14 points and 5-of-6 free throw shooting.
CSUN, known for its defensive intensity, started slow. The Rainbow Warriors consistently found open shots, and Ryan Rapp’s three-pointer at the 4:43 mark extended Hawai’i’s lead to 32-28. Adding to the Matadors’ struggles, Fuller picked up his third foul in the first half, forcing Coach Andy Newman to send him to the bench.
CSUN found itself in an unusual position—trailing 39-38 at halftime in a game where they were favored by 10.5 points.
Halftime Message: “We Had to Play Harder”
At halftime, CSUN head coach Andy Newman had a clear message for his team.
“[Coach] just told us we were tied with the rebounds, and we’re the best rebounding team in the conference. That can’t happen, so that lit a fire in us, and we decided to come out and go even harder than we did the first half,” Adams Jr. said.
Second Half: Matadors Flip the Switch
From the opening possession of the second half, CSUN looked like a completely different team.
The Rainbow Warriors switched to a zone defense, but Fuller immediately made them pay, drilling a corner three to put CSUN back in front. Fuller scored CSUN’s first nine points of the half, including a three-point play that pushed the lead to 47-41.
Then, the defense took over.
The Matadors ramped up their pressure, forcing turnovers and creating transition opportunities. Keonte Jones, despite an 8-point, 4-rebound night, made his biggest impact on defense, where his hustle plays and steals set the tone. A fast-break layup from Jones extended the lead to 60-50 with 13 minutes remaining.
Hawai’i made an attempt to claw back, but Beard and Adams Jr. had an answer every time. Beard knocked down four three-pointers without a miss and finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
He even attempted the highlight dunk of the night, trying to throw one down over the entire Rainbow Warriors defense.
“It looked worse than what it really was,” Beard laughed. “Let me tell you. I feel like I got up high enough. I just honestly lost the ball, but, you know, I tried to get a little something for Senior Night, try to show out a little bit. But, live and learn.
Senior Night Standouts
Four CSUN seniors saw action in their final home game:
- Tyler Beard (#0) – 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, shooting 4-for-4 from three.
- PJ Fuller II (#4) – 16 points, including his 1,000th career point on a late driving layup through the defense.
- Festus Ndumanya (#6) – Provided key defensive minutes and rebounding.
- Judson Martindale (#33) – Gave strong hustle minutes off the bench.
For Fuller, that final bucket, a seemingly impossible layup high off the glass over multiple Warrior defenders, held special meaning.
“They were telling me to be aggressive when I got back in the game, even though I have four [fouls],” Fuller said. “To try and get that 1,000 points, and when I got the ball on top, I’m like, ‘There’s no way I don’t try right here.’ Like, I have to try. Whatever it takes, so I just kind of drove as hard as I could, and I was gonna try and dunk it, but he was too big. I couldn’t get over him, so I just laid it up.”
Despite foul trouble limiting his first-half minutes, Fuller shot 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from three, delivering when it mattered most.
Adams Jr. Leads the Charge
While the seniors had their moments, Adams Jr. once again led CSUN in scoring, finishing with 21 points and 8 rebounds.
His most jaw-dropping highlight came in the first half—a nasty Euro step on the fast break that left his defender crossed-up and frozen.
When asked about his ability to move like a guard despite his size, Adams Jr. credited his development to his coaching background.
“Just growing up, I’ve been around coaches that are crafty and a lot of guard coaches,” he said. “And here, I don’t play as a five. Here they have me as a three-four, dribbling. They want me to bring the ball up, so I’m just crafty and swift because of the coaches that I grew up with.”
The Road Ahead: Matadors Ready for the Big West Tournament
With the win, CSUN locks in the #4 seed in the Big West Tournament, heading to Las Vegas next week with a shot at a conference title and NCAA Tournament bid.
“We’re not done here at all,” Adams Jr. said. “We’re trying to make a run, make the [March] Madness, and see what we can do.”
For Beard, the mission is clear:
“We just wanted to come out here and play with passion,” he said. “Coach has been preaching that. We took a tough loss against Riverside on Thursday, one that we needed, and he told us we didn’t play with passion. So, I think we just wanted to come out tonight and play as hard as we can and play our brand of basketball. And when we do that, I don’t think anybody can beat us.”
The Matadors showed exactly that in the second half.
Now, Vegas awaits.
Ben, Chief Editor and Business Consultant at WCSM, is also the Chief Creative Officer at two multi-million-dollar businesses, where he has driven growth and innovation. A summa cum laude graduate with degrees in Statistics and Business Computer Information Systems, Ben has helped small businesses double their revenue, launched YouTube channels with over 50K followers, and created websites for high-profile clients in TV and film. His expertise spans content creation, video production, advertising, analytics, web design, and data analysis. Ben is eager to bring his skills to WCSM, turning their vision into impactful realities while fostering sustainable growth.
