CSUN Boosts Playoff Chances With 74-61 Win Over Chapman

Kelly Huston sat in the Chapman locker room, shaking his lowered head from side to side.

Chapman had just been eliminated from playoff contention in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., 74-61, by Cal State Northridge, and Huston, for all his impressive statistics, had not been able to do a thing about it. This may have been why his head was down.

Alan Fraser was probably the reason for Huston’s despair. It was Fraser, a transfer from Fullerton College, who drew the assignment of guarding Huston on Thursday night at Northridge.

Normally, that would have been the job of Todd Bowser, the Matadors’ 6-8, 270-pound sophomore center. But Bowser, who was averaging 14.3 points and 7.8 rebounds, is out for the season because of a strained arch, leaving Fraser, a 6-6 junior, to fill his considerably large shoes.

And he did it well.

Fraser scored only eight points, but he held Huston, who came in averaging 21.8 points, to 13--most of them earned in a blue-collar fashion.

Northridge (15-10 overall, 7-6 in conference play) moved into sole possession of fourth place in the CCAA. If Northridge defeats Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday, or if Chapman (15-11, 6-7) defeats Cal State Los Angeles, the Matadors will make the conference’s four-team postseason tournament.

“They were really prepared,” Huston said of Northridge. “I have to give them credit. Everywhere I turned, they were there.”

Huston had only two points in the first half, making 1 of 6 shots.

“It was frustrating,” Huston said. “When you play the post, you have no control. You’re not the one handling the ball.”

More often than not, the ball never got to the post. And when it did, Fraser wasn’t the only one hounding Huston.

“I had a lot of help,” Fraser said. “Our guards were raking him. I don’t think he got many good shots.”

Northridge had 14 steals--including six by point guard Troy Dueker.

Ray Horwath, another Northridge player who helped Fraser, gave Huston his due.

“Kelly is a fine player,” he said. “He works very hard and he makes you work when you guard him. When you’re matched on him it raises your level of play. It’s a chance to prove yourself.”

Horwath did that well at both ends of the floor. He and Pat Bolden picked up the offensive slack in Bowser’s absence. Bolden was 8-of-12 shooting and scored 22 points. Horwath, who was wearing Bowser’s game shorts, made 7 of 11 shots and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

“It’s the shorts,” he quipped afterward. “Whoever wears them scores big.”

Horwath’s rebounding helped Northridge to a 40-27 edge in that department. It was only the fourth time in 26 games that Chapman had been outrebounded.

Guard Bryan Richetto led the Panthers with seven rebounds. Huston, who led the CCAA coming into the game averaging 7.9, had two.

Russ Ortega led Chapman in scoring with 18 points. Dave Roth had 15 but was only 2 of 8 from three-point range.

Chapman Coach Kevin Wilson did not seem too surprised with Northridge’s performance.

“Bowser is a good player, but without taking anything away from him, I think they’re a better ballclub in a lot of ways without him,” Wilson said. “They’re so much quicker.

“You don’t take his stats out of the lineup and not feel it, but I think they have better depth than a lot of people gave them credit for.”