Northridge Short on Foreign Exchange, 68-52

Don’t expect to catch the Cal State Northridge women’s basketball team barnstorming through other countries any time in the near future.

The Lady Matadors would probably rather play the Lakers than see another foreign team.

Northridge’s 68-52 loss to the University of Victoria, British Columbia Thursday night was its third in as many games against international competition. CSUN previously lost two games to a club team from Melbourne, Australia.

Lady Matador Coach Leslie Milke may think twice before she schedules another game against a team from outside the United States.

“Oh, God,” she said. “I don’t know if I would. I’d probably have to check them out first.”

If there’s one good thing about the beating, it’s that the loss won’t count against Northridge’s 8-2 record. Neither will the team’s losses to the Melbourne Tigers. Any game played between an NCAA school and a foreign school is considered an exhibition.

Milke said that playing against a team the caliber of Victoria, which has won four of the last six Canadian national championships, could prove to be a positive experience.

“They’re a good team,” she said. “We needed to play a team like that before we enter our conference.”

The Lady Matadors will meet the University of Missouri, Kansas City on Saturday and travel to Azusa Pacific on Wednesday before beginning California Collegiate Athletic Assn. play Jan. 11, when they host Chapman College.

Victoria, which will return to Canada today, finished its trip with a 2-1 record. The Vikettes (13-3) opened their trip with a lopsided win over Chapman before losing to defending NCAA Division II champion Cal Poly Pomona.

There was little doubt Thursday that Victoria would go home with a winning record.

The Vikettes took advantage of 14 Lady Matador turnovers in the first half and enjoyed a comfortable lead from the outset.

Senior forward Lori Clarke, one of three Vikettes to also play on the Canadian national team, scored 10 points in the first half as Victoria took a 33-15 lead late in the first half and cruised to a 39-22 advantage at the intermission.

“The turnovers killed us in the first half,” Milke said. “We adjusted a little better in the second half and played a little better defense and that helped us.”

Vikette Coach Kathy Shields agreed that turnovers were a key.

“We try to make defense the biggest part of our game,” she said. “We have to get turnovers. We put a lot of pressure on the opponent’s guards to accomplish that.”

They were successful.

Northridge’s guards committed 21 of the team’s 31 turnovers.

Northridge outscored Victoria, 30-29, in the second half, but it couldn’t compensate for Victoria’s hot shooting in the first half.

The Vikettes shot 63% from the field in the first half, making 17 of 27 shots. Northridge shot 32% (9 of 28).

Clarke finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Adele Fedorak and senior guard Sandy Pothier added 13 points each.

Susie Neil and Karla Karch, the other two members of the national team, scored 10 and six points.

Reserve guard Lori Costello was the only Lady Matador to generate any offense in the first half, scoring 10 points. She finished with a team-high 18 points. Center Tara Flanagan scored 13 points and guard Renee Loch added 10.

VICTORIA--Clarke 16; Neil 10; Fedorak 13; Valg 6; Pothier 13; Nutini 2; Karch 6; Sladecek 2.

CS NORTHRIDGE--Flanagan 13; O’Hara 2; Loch 10; Costello 18; Middleton 6; Powell 3.