Preview: UC San Diego at Cal State Northridge

LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — A key Big West Conference rematch unfolds Saturday when the UC San Diego Tritons visit the Cal State Northridge Matadors at the Matadome.

The Tritons (15-7, 0-0 Big West), who hold the better overall record, will be looking to avenge an 84-79 home loss to the Matadors just over two weeks ago on Jan. 15. That game kicked off a challenging 2-3 stretch for UC San Diego, which is coming off a low-scoring 62-48 defeat to UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.

UC San Diego will lean on guard Bol Dengdit, who scored 15 points in the loss to UCSB and is averaging 13.4 points over his last eight games. Dengdit was held to just three assists in the first meeting with CSUN.

The Matadors (12-10, 0-0 Big West) enter with momentum after a dominant 94-78 victory over UC Davis on Thursday. Guard Joshua O’Garro powered that win with 21 points and eight assists. O’Garro, who scored 10 points in the earlier win over UCSD, is averaging 17.6 points over his last seven contests.

The matchup features contrasting recent trajectories. Cal State Northridge has won three of its last four, while UC San Diego has dropped three of its last five following a six-game win streak earlier in January.

Conference implications are high as both teams open the bulk of their Big West schedule. The Tritons aim to leverage their strong road record, which includes wins at UC Davis and Cal State Bakersfield this month, to steal a victory in Los Angeles. The Matadors seek to protect their home floor and solidify their standing with a second head-to-head win.

Saturday’s tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PST at the Matadome.