LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — Rita Nazario scored 21 points to lead Cal State Northridge to a 63-48 victory over San Diego in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Saturday at the Matadome.

The Matadors improved to 2-0 on the young season, while the Toreros fell to 1-2.

Cal State Northridge never trailed, establishing control early with a 20-point first quarter. The Matadors led 35-31 at halftime and steadily pulled away after the break, outscoring San Diego 28-17 in the second half. A key factor was their three-point shooting, as they connected on 9 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc compared to San Diego’s 3-for-16 performance.

San Diego’s Kylie Ray led all scorers with 20 points and added nine rebounds in 38 minutes. Hallie Rhodes contributed 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks for the Toreros. Despite the individual efforts, San Diego struggled offensively, shooting just 30.4 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Beyond Nazario’s scoring output, Cal State Northridge received a strong performance from Jite Gbemuotor, who posted 11 points and eight rebounds. The Matadors dominated the glass, outrebounding the Toreros 48-35 and securing 16 offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points.

Defensively, both teams were active, combining for 45 turnovers. San Diego recorded 13 steals, led by multiple players, but could not consistently convert those opportunities into points on the other end. Cal State Northridge’s more efficient offense, which posted an offensive rating of 83.7 compared to San Diego’s 60.8, proved to be the difference.

The game was played before an announced crowd of 310. Cal State Northridge next travels to face San Diego State on Wednesday. San Diego returns home to host Arizona State on Thursday.