It will be a battle for second...

It will be a battle for second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. men’s basketball race when Cal State Los Angeles hosts UC Riverside at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

More important, the winner will also stay in strong contention for the CCAA title.

Both teams enter this weekend’s play at 7-2 in the conference, one game behind Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (8-1). Cal State L.A. is 13-5 overall and UC Riverside is 17-5.

Cal State L.A. defeated Riverside, 68-66, in the first round of conference play and Coach Jim Newman expects a physical game from the Highlanders.

“They’re going to go physical strength against physical strength, and we play better against those kinds of teams,” Newman said. “Besides, if we can’t beat them at home, we don’t deserve to win the conference.”

The Golden Eagles received strong play from 6-10 center Tony Brown and 6-3 guard Sam Veal in conference wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills (71-65) and Chapman (83-62) in their last two games. Brown scored 37 points and Veal 36.

For the season, they lead the Golden Eagles in scoring. Veal averages 19.5 points and Brown 14.5 points and 11.1 rebounds. Cal State L.A. also starts Shawn Holiday (6-3) at guard and James Stewart (6-8) and Cary Brooks (6-6) at forward.

Riverside has been led by forwards Robert Jimerson and Andre Greer and guard Brad Husen.

Before facing Riverside, Cal State L.A. will visit Cal Poly Pomona (2-7, 11-11) for a CCAA game at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Kellogg Gym. Pomona is headed by 6-7 center Gregg Brofer, who averages 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds, and 5-11 point guard Darron Suttle, averaging 13 points.

The only thing more rare than a conference loss for the Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team is a conference loss at home.

Pomona, ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II, has won 17 California Collegiate Athletic Assn. games in a row and 26 conference games in a row at home.

That should spell trouble for Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Northridge when they visit Pomona for conference games this weekend. Pomona faces Northridge (6-2, 16-4) at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Cal State L.A. (2-6, 6-12) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Poly Pavilion.

Pomona, 7-0 in conference play and 19-3 overall, has already defeated Northridge, 91-59, and Cal State L.A., 80-54 on the road.

But Darlene May, coach of the Broncos, expects closer scores in the rematches. “As usual, it will be a different type of game with Northridge and L.A.,” she said. “They are better teams than in the first round. Northridge missed a lot of shots and they won’t miss those again. Hopefully, we’re better than we were three weeks ago.”

Pomona has continued to receive excellent balanced scoring with four starters averaging in double figures.

Division II All-American center Vickie Mitchell, who averages 15.3 points and 11.6 rebounds, leads the way and is followed in scoring by forward Debra Larsen at 13.2 points, point guard Michelle McCoy at 12.0 and forward Debbie Flett at 11.8.

The Azusa Pacific women’s basketball team, having one of its best seasons, will place a 10-game winning streak on the line when it hosts Biola University at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

The Cougars, who also visit Cal Baptist of Riverside for a game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, are listed No. 15 in the latest NAIA national rankings--their highest position.

Azusa Pacific, which has already clinched a district playoff spot, enters the Biola game with an 11-1 record in NAIA District III and is 23-4 overall. The Cougars have won four straight over Biola, including a 61-49 win three weeks ago.

The Cougars have been led by senior guard Denise Duncan, who Coach Sue Hebel says is the best all-around player ever in the NAIA District III. Duncan accomplished a school first recently when she posted a triple double (double figures in three categories) with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over Point Loma.

The other standout for Azusa Pacific is senior center Cindy DeYoung, the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She has made 58.8% of her field-goal attempts this season.

Jim Hall, an assistant coach at Rosemead High School since 1978, has been named the school’s new football coach.

Hall, 35, replaces John Dunaway, who resigned after a 4-6 record last year. Dunaway posted a record of 33-25-1 in six years as coach and led the Panthers to the CIF Southeastern Conference playoffs in three of the last four seasons.

The new coach, a graduate of Rosemead who will have 20 lettermen returning, coached the school’s sophomore team in 1977 and has been co-offensive coordinator since.

Nogales High in La Puente has retired the uniforms of two former baseball standouts, now playing in the major leagues.

Coach John Romano said the school has retired the jerseys of infielder Cecil Fielder, who plays for the Toronto Blue Jays, and catcher Mark Salas of the Minnesota Twins. Fielder graduated from Nogales in 1981 and Salas in 1979.

Cal State Los Angeles women’s track Coach Gudrun Armanski has been named sprint and relay coach for the West team at the 1986 U. S. Olympic Festival on July 25 through Aug. 4 at Houston.

Under Armanski’s direction, Cal State has never finished worse than 15th in the NCAA Division I championship meet and has helped develop Olympic sprinters Sherri and Denean Howard and Rosalyn Bryant.

Said Armanski, coach at Cal State since 1973: “I’m elated. I’ve always had to go to such meets . . . by paying my own way. Now I’ve been selected as a coach so I don’t have to pay to get in.”