LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — Josiah Davis scored 23 points and dished 15 assists as Cal State Northridge rallied from a halftime deficit to edge Cal Poly 95-90 in a Big West Conference men’s basketball game Thursday night at Matadome. The Matadors trailed 44-41 at halftime but exploded for 54 second-half points to secure the victory. Davis orchestrated the comeback, adding five rebounds in 40 minutes. Hamad Mousa led all scorers with 34 points for the Mustangs, while Cayden Ward added 21. Cal Poly fell to 6-11 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Cal State Northridge improved to 10-7 and 2-0. An announced crowd of 625 watched the Matadors overcome a five-point pregame spread. The total score of 185 points went over the projected line of 173.

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — In a game defined by a breathtaking individual performance and a furious second-half rally, Cal State Northridge outlasted Cal Poly 95-90 in a Big West Conference men’s basketball thriller on Thursday night at the Matadome. The Matadors, who trailed by three at halftime, erased the deficit and then survived a late Mustangs push, largely on the back of a historic outing from junior guard Josiah Davis. The Kitchener, Canada, native orchestrated the Northridge offense with maestro-like precision, scoring 23 points and dishing out a remarkable 15 assists against only four turnovers in 40 minutes of action. Cal Poly, which fell to 6-11 overall and 1-3 in conference play, controlled much of the first half behind the hot shooting of its own star. Hamad Mousa, a sophomore from Doha, Qatar, poured in 34 points, including six three-pointers, to keep the Mustangs ahead. Cayden Ward added 21 points for Cal Poly, which led 44-41 at the intermission. The game’s pivotal shift came early in the second half. After a Ward three-pointer extended Cal Poly’s lead to 47-43, Cal State Northridge unleashed a decisive 19-4 run over a five-minute span. Davis was the catalyst, scoring or assisting on 15 of those 19 points. His drive-and-kick found James Evans for a three, and he later fed Mahmoud Fofana and Joshua O’Garro for easy baskets, transforming a four-point deficit into a 62-51 Matadors advantage with 11:34 remaining. The Mustangs, however, refused to fold. Mousa and Ward combined for a 12-4 spurt of their own, capped by a Mousa step-back three, to claw back within 66-63. Every time Cal Poly threatened, Davis and the Matadors had an answer. When the lead was cut to three, Davis found Evans for another three-pointer. When it was trimmed to five, Davis drove for a layup. His 15 assists consistently punctured the Cal Poly defense, leading to high-percentage shots as Northridge shot 52.2% from the field for the game. Cal Poly’s final charge came in the last two minutes. Trailing 89-83, a three-pointer from Guzman Vasilic and two free throws from Cayden Ward brought the Mustangs within a single point at 89-88 with 1:30 left. On the ensuing possession, Davis again delivered under pressure, drawing a double-team and firing a cross-court pass to James Evans, who sank a clutch three-pointer from the corner to push the lead back to 92-88 with 1:15 on the clock. After a Cal Poly timeout, the Mustangs came up empty on their next two possessions. Davis then sealed the victory at the free-throw line, hitting four straight in the final 18 seconds to secure the win for Northridge, which improved to 10-7 overall and 3-1 in the Big West. Beyond Davis’s double-double, the Matadors received significant contributions from Joshua O’Garro with 20 points and James Evans with 17, including several critical second-half threes. Mahmoud Fofana added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Northridge. For Cal Poly, Mousa’s 34-point effort came on 10-of-25 shooting, while Peter Bandelj chipped in 13 points. The Mustangs relied heavily on the three-ball, attempting 44 and making 16, but were ultimately outdone by Northridge’s superior efficiency inside the arc and Davis’s playmaking. Cal Poly’s 12 steals forced 14 Matador turnovers, but they were countered by 13 giveaways of their own and a 12-6 disadvantage in offensive rebounds. The combined final score of 185 points sailed over the pregame over/under line of 173, defying the expectations of oddsmakers who had installed Northridge as a 5-point favorite. The Matadors’ victory, fueled by Davis’s career night, sets up a key conference road test at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Cal Poly looks to regroup at home against UC Davis on the same day.

Preview: Cal Poly at Cal State Northridge in Big West Conference Men’s Basketball LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — The Cal State Northridge Matadors, looking to solidify a winning record, will host the struggling Cal Poly Mustangs in a Big West Conference men’s basketball matchup on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Matadome. The Matadors (9-7 overall) enter conference play with momentum from a 74-65 home victory over UC Santa Barbara last Saturday. Forward Mahmoud Fofana has been a consistent force, averaging a double-double in his last two games, including a 14-point, 11-rebound performance against the Gauchos. Guard Larry Hughes leads the team in scoring from that win with 23 points. Conversely, the Mustangs (6-10) aim to halt a two-game skid after falling 74-66 at Long Beach State. Their fortunes hinge heavily on the hot hand of guard Hamad Mousa, who has averaged 24.2 points over his last five contests. Mousa poured in 33 points in a narrow overtime loss to Idaho on Dec. 21 and scored 26 in a 67-65 win over UC San Diego on New Year’s Day. The Matadors have shown potency at home, boasting a 5-2 record in Los Angeles this season with notable non-conference wins over Sacramento State and Fresno State. Cal Poly has found wins harder to secure, with a 1-5 record in true road games, though they did secure a notable early-season victory at Utah. This contest opens the conference schedule for both teams. Northridge will seek to leverage its interior presence, led by Fofana, against a Cal Poly defense that has allowed an average of 81.1 points per game. The Mustangs will rely on Mousa’s scoring burst to keep pace. The teams will meet again in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, Feb. 5.