UC Davis Dashes Northridge Optimism Quickly, 69-55

Accompanying the new Cal State Northridge basketball season was an abundant amount of optimism, and while no one was saying the Matadors would be world-beaters, there were quiet whisperings of new hope.

That hope was squelched a bit Saturday night as the new-look Matadors fell to UC Davis, 69-55, in their first game of the season. Still, in CSUN Coach Pete Cassidy’s mind, not all was lost.

Even though Northridge self-destructed down the stretch, it showed more talent and depth than it did at any time during last season. Cassidy unveiled newcomers Todd Bowser, Ray Horwath and Cliff Barnes, among others, and played them in crucial situations throughout the game.

“I’m not going to get down on these guys,” Cassidy said. “We broke. We cracked and we lost our poise when Davis kept theirs, but we’re trying to break these new people in. I wanted the new bodies to get some experience because we’ll need them later.”

The first new body in the game was Horwath, a transfer from Sierra Junior College, who has impressed coaches enough to earn a starting spot. He showed why in the first half when he led all scorers with 12 points. Horwath, a 6-5, 212-pound forward, hit the boards hard and displayed a soft touch from medium range. Against Davis, he gave the Matadors a dimension they struggled with a year ago--an inside game.

But it was Todd Bowser, who is 6-7 and 275 pounds (at least), who showed promise as a dominating player under the basket. The freshman from Montclair Prep entered the game midway through the first half and stayed in long enough to miss an open layup and get his glasses smashed by a Davis defender. He rumbled around for a few minutes before Cassidy yanked him back to the bench.

In the second half, though, Bowser started and played extensively and effectively, scoring 10 points and laying a wide body on any Aggie who dared walk past.

“Bowser is a damned freshman,” Cassidy said, “but he went out there and played like a man tonight. Horwath did a good job, too. Ray is very strong and a good shooter and even though he’s got a sore ankle, he played well. You’ll see a lot of Bowser and Horwath out there this season.”

Cassidy enjoys saying that because a year ago he watched helplessly as his team was shoved around by bigger opponents. The Matadors may lose some games this year, but it is doubtful they will get pushed around much.

They were in the game against the Aggies until early in the second half when they suffered consecutive turnovers and missed two shots. UC Davis was trailing 38-34 when it started a run that ended with it coasting ahead by 15 points.

It wasn’t so much that the Matadors played horribly, it was more that while they were getting acquainted with each other, the Aggies pulled ahead.

Particularly effective for Davis was John Minor, who scored 16 points, and Randy Debortoli, who had 11.

“Davis is a smart club,” Cassidy said. “It’ll take us a month or so before we execute in games the way we want to. We do it fine in practice, but, eh . . . “

Sure enough, Northridge showed promise, Cassidy will now concentrate on fulfilling it.