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Northridge, CA – The CSUN Matadors (4-7) handily beat the Bethesda University Flames (1-11) on Sunday evening on The Blacktop @ The Matadome, 79-49. The Matadors have now won two in a row.
 
Junior transfer Kendall Smith led the team with a career-high 22 points on the night, as well as four assists, a career-high three steals and two rebounds. Sophomore Tavrion Dawson had his second-career double-double with career highs in points (21) and rebounds (13). He went 13-for-14 at the free throw line and also had four assists.
 
Senior Tre Hale-Edmerson continues to climb the CSUN charts, as he added another all-time record to his résumé in Sunday's game. Hale-Edmerson is now in 10^th place all-time in career steals with 123 and ranks on five offensive and defensive CSUN top 10 lists (blocks, games started, minutes, rebounds and steals).
 
"We had a long conversation about what this is for us in terms of where we're headed, being 3-7 going into this game," said Head Coach Reggie Theus. "We have a chance to be .500 by the time conference starts. That's what this game is about for us, preparing for the next game…Every game for us, win or lose, is a learning experience."
 
The Flames got off to a slightly quicker start in the game, but the Matadors shortly closed the gap and a long 3 by Smith put the Matadors up, 7-5, three minutes in. CSUN steadily pulled ahead, and midway through the half CSUN was up 20-1. The score was 40-22, CSUN, at the half and the Matadors closed out the first 20 with a dunk by Hale-Edmerson.
 
Smith and Dawson both scored in double digits in the first half, with Smith scoring 13 to go along with two steals and Dawson contributing 11 with five rebounds as well as seven free throws. The Matadors scored 18 points in the paint to the Flames' six and outshot Bethesda 46 percent to 27 percent.
 
Sophomore Micheal Warren scored the first five points of the second half on a long jumper and a 3, getting the Matadors off of to a strong start. CSUN continued to increase its lead, pulling ahead by 26 at the under-12 timeout, 55-29, and maintained that lead through the end of the game.
 
Smith and Dawson combined for a highlight dunk with just over six minutes left to put the Matadors up by 29, and they led by as much as 36 with around four minutes left in the game.
 
Warren scored 10 on the night, Hale-Edmerson added seven with seven rebounds and three blocks and freshman Jason Richardson and senior Olalekan Ajayi scored six apiece.
 
Freshmen Kelton Conway and Mehran Nazarian also saw playing time for the Matadors, and Nazarian scored his first collegiate baskets, both of them layups. Conway added a point on a free throw.
 
The Matadors finished the game shooting 45 percent with 28 points off the bench, 21 of them from Dawson.
 
The Matadors hit the road for their next two games, University of San Diego on Wednesday, Dec. 23 and Idaho State on Tuesday, Dec. 29. They return to The Matadome to face Morgan State on Saturday, January 2 before the Big West Conference opener in The Matadome on Wednesday, January 6 vs. Long Beach State.