CSUN Sets Scoring Mark in 2nd Bible Beating

The inquiry hit just as Cal State Northridge men’s basketball Coach Pete Cassidy was gaining momentum in an attempt to tactfully explain how not to embarrass an obviously overmatched opponent.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “We played zone, we substituted freely and played everyone that we could play.”

Then the stumper:

“Well, then, why do you play Bethany Bible . . . twice?”

The coach paused.

“That’s a good question,” Cassidy said.

Having already routed the gutty little Bruins by 40 points at its gym last week, Northridge administered a 118-79 Bethany Bible thumping Tuesday night at the CSUN gym.

Not much was learned, but at least one thing was gained: a school-record for points in a game.

Twice Matador teams had scored 117 points--the last time against Westmont 23 years ago.

The new standard should come with an asterisk. Bethany Bible (3-6), which is in Scotts Valley, Calif., near Santa Cruz, has an enrollment of 500 and is a newcomer to the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics.

And even the NAIA is a big step up from whence the Bruins came--that being a conference for private schools in the Bay Area.

Northridge (3-1) has reached triple figures in each of its victories, which would be significant had not Bethany Bible been the opponent in 2 of them.

Several Matador players--specifically 3 who were on the other end of a lopsided score last season in losses to Division I schools Kansas State and Wichita State--admitted to feeling sorry for the Bruins during Tuesday’s game.

“It’s not a good feeling,” said Todd Bowser, CSUN’s center. “But we were just running basic stuff and scoring on it.”

Northridge shot 57.8%, and even when the Matadors missed they often managed the score. The reason: 24 offensive rebounds.

Leroy McCullough, who made all 8 of his shots 2 weeks ago against UC Davis in CSUN’s last home game, matched the effort in scoring a season-high 26 points. Included were 3 slam dunks, the last a two-handed effort on a rebound.

“They were nice guys,” McCullough, a 6-4 junior, said of the Bruin players. “I didn’t mean to do it.”

The Bethany Bible players certainly bore no grudges. “They were complimenting me,” McCullough said.