NORTHRIDGE, Calif. Cal State Northridge capitalized on 19 offensive rebounds to score 21 second-chance points, as the Matadors defeated the University of Denver men’s basketball team 80-53 at the Matadome on Tuesday night.

                                                                                                               

“Cal State Northridge is a good team that came out, played hard and played aggressively,” head coach Joe Scott said. “Our staples have to be taking care of the ball and finishing defensive possessions by rebounding the ball. We were not good at that tonight. Give credit to Northridge for how well they played, and hopefully this will turn out to be a positive learning experience for us. ”

                        

Cal State Northridge (2-6), which was picked to win the Big West Conference, opened the game on a 12-2 run before a pair of buckets by junior guard Nate Rohnert (Parker, Colo.) put Denver (1-6) back in it by cutting the deficit in half.

 

After a dunk by CSUN’s Tremaine Townsend, freshman guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) followed a bucket with a steal and a layup just five seconds later.

 

The teams traded baskets until the Matadors ended the half on a 10-2 run that left the score 35-22 in favor of Cal State Northridge.

 

The Matadors outrebounded the Pioneers 20-12 in the half, including 11 on the offensive end that resulted in 17 second-chance points.

 

CSUN stretched the lead to 51-31 with 11:43 left, but Rohnert buried a pair of baskets and Stafford nailed four free throws to chip the deficit to 53-38 with 10:01. However, the Matadors were too much down the stretch.

 

Sophomore forward Rob Lewis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) led the Pioneers with 18 points, while Rohnert had 12 points and six assists. Stafford scored 10 points and recorded a career-high three steals.

 

Willie Galick had a double-double for Cal State Northridge with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Townsend (14), Josh Jenkins (13), Deon Tresvant (13) and Rob Haynes (10) all joined Galick by scoring double digits, while Jenkins led all players with nine assists.

 

After playing six of their first seven games on the road, the Pioneers return to Denver to play five-straight games at Magness Arena, beginning with South Dakota State on Saturday at 4 p.m.