CSUN Holds Off Cal State L.A., Keeps Within Striking Distance of 2nd Place

A couple of interesting races are heating up involving the Cal State Northridge basketball team.

The Matadors are in the middle of a wild fight for a berth in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament, and they took a positive step toward staying in that race by defeating Cal State Los Angeles, 72-64, Tuesday night at the Cal State L.A. gym.

The victory evened Northridge’s conference record at 4-4. The Matadors are in fifth place, but only one game out of a tie for second. The top four teams qualify for the postseason tournament.

Now the question is, what does the team’s winning percentage have to do with the color of Coach Pete Cassidy’s hair?

The percentage of black and gray stands at about .500 right now--the same as the Matadors’ record. It’s doubtful that many more wins like Tuesday’s will help Cassidy’s cause, however.

Northridge looked to be well on its way to a big win--a shutout?--early in the game.

Northridge led, 10-0, after the first four minutes thanks to the generosity of the Golden Eagles, who had five turnovers in its first five possessions.

But less than eight minutes later, the Golden Eagles had a 22-21 lead largely because the Matadors couldn’t buy a rebound.

The Matadors snapped a three-game losing streak with some sensational shooting--61% for the game and 69% in the second half.