The UCLA men’s basketball team will look to protect its perfect home record (4-0) this season and extend its 29-game home winning streak when it hosts Cal State Northridge on Tuesday.
The Bruins are 9-1 all-time against the Matadors, the most recent meeting being a 102-97 Bruins win at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 13, 2016.
Here’s what you need to know about the nonconference matchup:
UCLA VS. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Network/570 AM
Records: UCLA 5-4; CSUN 7-3
UCLA’s latest result: The Bruins are coming off a 67-60 loss to Ohio State in Atlanta on Saturday, which was their third defeat in four games. UCLA led 41-37 midway through the second half but was outscored 30-19 over the game’s final 10:30. Freshman guard Sebastian Mack had a team-high 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore point guard Dylan Andrews had 13 points and three assists. Sophomore forward Adem Bona added 12 points and six rebounds. The last time the Bruins won was more than two weeks ago when they pulled out a 66-65 win at home against UC Riverside on Nov. 30.
CSUN’s latest result: CSUN, from the Big West Conference, is coming off an 80-75 win at home against Utah Tech on Dec. 11. Junior guard Dionte Bostick scored a game-high 19 points, as all five Matador starters scored at least 10 points. Bostick is averaging 15.4 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from behind the arc.
Matchups to watch: A prime matchup to watch is UCLA forward Bona, who is 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds, against CSUN senior forward De’Sean Allen-Eikens, who at 6-6, 215, is averaging a team-high 19.9 points per game on 51.6% shooting from the field and 37.9% from 3-point range.
Bona, who is averaging 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds on 57.5% shooting from the field will often be paired with another interior player, like 7-3 freshman Aday Mara. Mara, who will likely be guarded by CSUN senior center Dearon Tucker, who at 6-10, is the team’s tallest starter, will give Bona will have a sizeable height advantage over every other player in CSUN’s eight to nine-man rotation.
UCLA trends to watch: Tuesday’s game against CSUN is UCLA’s second-to-last nonconference game before Pac-12 play begins at Oregon State on Dec. 28 and at Oregon on Dec. 30.
Bona is the team’s leading rebounder at 6.3 per game. The team’s second-best rebounder is junior guard Lazar Stefanovic, who at 6-7 and 190 pounds, is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game. In addition to his rebounding prowess, Stefanovic, who transferred from Utah, is only one of two Bruins who are shooting above 27.3% from behind the arc. Stefanovic is shooting 34.4% from long range, which is slightly above his career average of 33.9%, and sophomore guard Will McClendon is shooting a team-high 48% from 3-point range.
