Game Effort by Northridge Falls Short, 57-56

The Cal State Northridge basketball team can probably empathize with Wile E. Coyote, the cartoon character who continuously chases the Roadrunner and never quite catches up.

Northridge trailed almost all the way in its California Collegiate Athletic Assn. playoff game against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners Friday night at the Civic Auditorium.

Several times, the game appeared so very close to being a blowout.

Each time, however, the Matadors--their front line depleted by injury and foul trouble--came back. Still, Northridge lost, 57-56, to the CCAA’s regular season co-champion.

The Matadors, who trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half, made a game of it in the final minutes.

Bakersfield was clinging to a five-point lead, 55-50, with 1:50 left when Northridge turned the heat up another notch.

Ray Horwath hit a running jumper in the key with 1:29 left, and the Roadrunner lead was down to three.

A Bakersfield turnover gave the Matadors the ball with a minute remaining. Northridge tried to work it to Pat Bolden, who scored a game-high 19 points, but the ball was fumbled.

Fortunately for the Matadors, Jemarl Baker was there to pick it up and he hit a jump shot from the free-throw line to cut the lead to one, 55-54, with 44 seconds left.

With 22 seconds left, Horwath tied up Ray Burris of Bakersfield, but was called for a holding foul.

Burris, who scored 13 points, made both ends of the one-and-one to make the score 57-54.

Northridge tried to work another three-point play for Bolden. This time, the Matadors got him the ball, but he missed a long-range bomb from the corner with Tony Brooks of Bakersfield in his face.

Bakersfield missed a chance to put the game away with 11 seconds left when Fred Jones missed the front-end of a one-and-one.

Northridge got the ball, but had to settle for two points on a pair of Baker free throws with eight seconds left.

The Matadors never got the ball back.

“They could have folded several times and never did,” CSUN Coach Pete Cassidy said of his team. “I’m proud. We lost, but it wasn’t for lack of effort.”