Long-Range Shots Punch Holes in CSUN Upset Bid

If there was a chip in the armor of the UC Riverside basketball team--the only thing that could possibly do in the hot-shot Highlanders this season--it was the lack of a post man.

That’s what California Collegiate Athletic Assn. teams were hoping, anyway, when Riverside started 10-0 and was ranked as high as third in the NCAA Division II.

Those hopes were bolstered last week when Cal Poly Pomona upset Riverside in its CCAA opener.

And they were shattered--for Northridge, anyway--Saturday night at Raincross Square in Riverside.

The Highlanders, who are as effective popping from the outside as Mike Tyson is inside, blew out the Matadors in the second half en route to a convincing 85-68 victory.

The proof is in the numbers and the statistics sheet showed the Highlanders shot 56%--67% in the second half--and made 9 of 17 three-point attempts.

For Northridge: 50% shooting but only 4 of 12 in three-point shots.

The differential seemed even greater, possibly because Riverside did most of its damage in the latter stages of the game.

For the first 15 minutes of the first half and the first nine minutes of the second, the biggest lead for either team was two points.

The score was tied, 46-46, with 11:26 left when Riverside’s Chris Jackson sparked a 32-15 run by driving around Todd Bowser for a layup.

No easy task considering Bowser is 6-8, 270 pounds, although he looks significantly smaller with his feet plastered to the floor.

In the press guide, Jackson is listed as a 6-4 point guard. With about 15 minutes left against Northridge, he became a post man.

And the Bowz, who simply couldn’t keep up, became a post.

“That was a bad matchup for them,” Riverside Coach John Masi said. “Chris turned it around both ways. Bowser had trouble getting the ball on offense and at the other end, Chris was just too quick for him.”

Jackson finished with 15 points, including 10 in the second half. He also had 10 rebounds.

Bowser scored 18, but only 2 in the game’s last 15 minutes. But the way Riverside shot the last 12 minutes, it didn’t matter.

The Highlanders, 13-3 overall and 2-1 in the CCAA, made 12 of their last 14 shots and were 9 of 11 from the free-throw line in the same span.

“I thought we took some questionable shots, but the kids were feeling it and that’s us--that’s what we do best,” Masi said.

Four Riverside players joined Jackson in double figures, led by Maurice Pullum who had 16.

Jimmy Shorters and Pat Vieira each had 14 and Reggie Howard had 11.

Forward Ray Horwath scored a game-high 20 points for Northridge, which fell to 9-6, 1-2 in the CCAA. Horwath made 7 of 9 shots, including 3 of 3 from three-point range. He scored 12 of the Matadors last 22 points.