Lady Matadors May Get Quick Shot at Broncos

Last year, Cal State Northridge women’s basketball team capped its most successful season on a familiar note: losing to Cal Poly Pomona.

Northridge, a punching bag for the rest of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., rose to national prominence last season and advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional before dropping a 66-46 decision to eventual national champion Pomona. It was the Lady Matadors’ 22nd consecutive loss to the Broncos.

Four of those losses came last season. Northridge was 20-5 against everyone else.

The Lady Matadors could get a quick chance at revenge this weekend when they open the season in the Cal Poly Pomona Lions Club tournament. They will meet Cal State Chico at 2 p.m. today in Kellogg Gym. Pomona will play San Francisco State in the other first round game. If both Northridge and Pomona win today, they will meet at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the championship.

It could be the first of five meetings between the teams this season.

They will meet twice in conference play and there is also the possibility of showdowns in both the CCAA postseason tournament and regionals.

Pomona was picked by conference coaches as the preseason favorite to win its 11 straight conference championship. Northridge was second in the poll.

The Lady Matadors dominated their opponents last season, but every time they appeared to gain momentum, Pomona popped up on their schedule.

While it lost every time, Northridge gave the Broncos a tougher time than perhaps any other Division II school.

In the West Regional, Northridge led by as many as 10 points before bowing out. Pomona was undefeated against Division II competition and finished at 30-3.

“We lost to them four times,” senior forward Liz Enright said. “That really hurts. God, we really want to get them. If we beat Pomona, that would make my season.”

Northridge Coach Leslie Milke, last season’s CCAA and NCAA District 8 coach of the year, is going into the season with reserved optimism.

“We’re not as strong as last season,” she said. “But we know more offensively and defensively. In that respect, we’re further along. We’re also a lot more versatile. Last season, we were a big team and relied on a lot of inside scoring. This season, we have a good inside game, but we’re also very good outside.”

That could prove to be a valuable asset. Behind guard Michelle McCoy, Pomona dominated the perimeter game against the Lady Matadors. She took control of the West Regional by scoring 31 points to lead the Broncos to the come-from-behind victory.

All this talk about Pomona may seem excessive. After all, Northridge does have 22 other games on its schedule. But don’t be fooled. All roads to the Final Four in Springfield, Mass., lead through Pomona for the Lady Matadors.

“There’s no doubt about that,” forward Denise Sitton said.

And Northridge will travel that road with a busload of new faces.

Of the 10 spots on the roster, five will be occupied by freshmen.

Sitton, a 6-1 All-CCAA senior who is the No. 3 all-time scorer at CSUN, is the only returning member of last season’s starting five.

Guards Renee Loch, Marcella Nino and Lori Costello, as well as center Tara Flanagan and forward Regan O’Hara, both all-conference selections, are all gone.

While the first four finished their eligibility last season, O’Hara’s departure came as somewhat of a surprise. After her first two seasons, she was well on her way to breaking every school scoring record. But she transferred to Loyola Marymount during the off season, leaving Sitton as the lone returning starter.

Sitton will be joined in the front court by the 6-0 Enright and 6-3 junior center Michelle Reuss. Sophomore Vicki Mallett and senior Julie Middleton will start at guard.

That doesn’t leave a whole lot of experience on the bench. None, to be exact.

The lack of experience doesn’t exactly send Milke into a panic. This was one of her best recruiting seasons.

Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon? Forget about ‘em. The Lady Matadors have a real set of Twin Towers in freshmen Kathleen (6-1) and Marianne (6-0) Dixon from Santa Monica High. Add to them the addition of guards Joy Ridout and Kristen Brinkema and forward Karen Hoffman, and Milke has a gang of five that she won’t mind seeing around for the next four seasons.

“I’m very confident with the younger people we have coming off the bench,” she said. “They’ve had to learn very quickly and they have. That’s pleasing. They’re all capable of stepping in and contributing right away.”

The new blood has even the returners anxious to get the season going.

“Right now, they don’t know what to expect or how good they can really become,” Enright said. “We have so much potential. It’s exciting to think how good we can be.”