Rainbow Warriors fall at Northridge

De’Sean Allen-Eikens scored 20 points and Cal State Northridge dominated the free-throw battle in today’s 76-66 basketball victory over Hawaii at Premier America Credit Union Arena in Northridge, Calif.

After Justin McKoy hit two free throws to close UH to 62-61 with 4:32 to play, the Matadors scored 14 of the final 19 points to extend their winning streak to a school-record seven. The Matadors are 12-3 overall and 3-0 in the Big West under first-year head coach Andy Newman.

Allen-Eikens, a 6-foot-6 forward, hit all 10 of his free throws. The Matadors were 25-for-30 from the line compared to the Rainbow Warriors’ 13-for-18 free-throw shooting.

The Warriors were 11-for-38 on shots launched behind the arc. They attempted 21 3-point shots in the first half.

Point guard JoVon McClanahan made three consecutive 3s to stake the Warriors to a 9-2 lead. McClanahan scored 13 of the Warriors’ first 14 points. Matt Cotton’s layup on a fast break with 10:56 left in the first half was the first basket by a Warrior other than McClanahan.

McClanahan, who scored 17 first-half points, shot 2-for-7 after the intermission.

The Warriors, who fell to 9-6 and 1-2 in the Big West, split this two-game road trip. They play host to UC Irvine on Thursday night in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.