GAME NOTES: Back home in the Golden State, the Cal State Northridge Matadors try to snap a three-game slide on Tuesday night when they host the South Dakota Coyotes.

Just over a week ago, the Matadors were closing out their run in the Maui Invitational on the mainland with a double-overtime loss at Arkansas-Little Rock, and unfortunately the losing trend continued after that. In addition to bowing to Portland State (63-55) in the last game at home, the team also suffered a 70-58 defeat at the hands of Seattle on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes are showing the same overall record as CSUN at 2-5 after seven games. However, in the case of South Dakota, the team has bounced back from a five-game slide to start the 2014-15 campaign with a win over Wayne State (86-69), and their first victory against a Division I foe in Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday, 68-66.

According to Cal State Northridge sources, the only previous meeting between the programs was won by the Coyotes.

Trailing by as many as 15 points early in the second half, the Coyotes experienced a 12-point shift over the final six-and-a-half minutes as they held on for the two-point victory at Bakersfield two days ago. Brandon Bos was responsible for 21 points, the bulk of his scoring coming after intermission, while Casey Kasperbauer accounted for 18 points and Tyler Larson a double- double from his guard position with 13 points and 10 rebounds for a squad that survived with only 38.5 percent shooting from the field.

Bos, the leading scorer in each of the last two outings for the Coyotes and four times in seven games overall, is pouring in 16.7 ppg thanks to a significant effort at the free-throw line where he has converted 34-of-42 (.810) opportunities. Larson (14.3 ppg) has also taken advantage of his opportunities at the stripe with 32 conversions, although his accuracy comes in much lower at only 65.3 percent. He does make up for some of those misses however, with both 7.9 rpg and 21 assists which both pace the program.

While 38.5 percent shooting was good enough for South Dakota to win the last time out, a nearly identical effort (.383) left the Matadors in the loss column yet again during their trip to Seattle over the weekend. Of the three reserves used by CSUN, Ajon Efferson led with 11 points and Devonte Elliott contributed another eight. Starters Tre Hale-Edmerson and Landon Drew both chipped in with 10 points, the former adding six steals, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots as well.

Although neither of them scored in double figures against Seattle, Stephen Maxwell and Stephan Hicks remain the only players to do so over the long haul, averaging 16.1 and 15.9 ppg, respectively. Maxwell, a 50.0 percent shooter from the floor who is also 86.1 percent accurate at the charity stripe, is credited with 7.1 rpg, with 3.0 rpg coming at the offensive end of the floor, leading to many of his own shot opportunities.

As long as the offense is not stifled again and both Hicks and Maxwell show initiative at the offensive end, this is a meeting that CSUN should be able to capture in front of the hometown crowd.