Pomona’s 29-Game Hex Baffles Lady Matadors

It is no longer the losing streak--now 29 and counting--against Cal Poly Pomona that bothers those associated with the Cal State Northridge women’s basketball program.

It’s the frustration. It’s the feeling that CSUN can beat Pomona, yet somehow it never quite manages to pull it off.

Pomona dealt the Lady Matadors their latest setback, 64-53, in a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. game Thursday night at CSUN.

And when it was over, CSUN Coach Leslie Milke was left shaking her head. Again.

“It’s better than getting beat by 30, but a loss is a loss,” said Milke, whose team stayed close despite playing without leading scorer and rebounder Chris Cavalin.

It was the 26th time in 31 meetings (Pomona has won 30 of them) that CSUN has been defeated by 10 or more points.

But unlike many of the others, this game was played closer than the score would indicate.

Northridge trailed, 55-49, with less than a minute left, but Pomona padded its advantage by making 9 consecutive free throws in the last 49 seconds.

Most of the final minute was spent at the free-throw line. The teams combined for 52 fouls.

Pomona (16-4), ranked second in Division II, was hit especially hard in the first half. The Lady Broncos had 3 starters with 3 fouls.

“We charted everyone at halftime and just started marking people off,” Pomona Coach Darlene May said. “Whoever was left started the second half.”

Foul trouble inhibited the play of Pomona center Niki Bracken, who fouled out with 2:02 left after scoring only 8 points--10 below her season average.

It worked both ways, however. Bridgette Ealy, expected to pick up a large part of the scoring slack left by Cavalin, scored only 3 points before fouling out with 1:40 left.

Paula Lucas led CSUN with 19 points and Julie Arlotto added 14. The Lady Matadors shot only 29.4% from the field but made 23 of 32 free throws.

The loss dropped Northridge to 15-5 overall, 3-2 in CCAA play, leaving them 2 games behind Pomona.

Pomona took a big lead early, scoring 10 of the game’s first 12 points and taking a 19-6 advantage a little more than 9 minutes into the game.

However, during the next 7:24 CSUN managed to turn the tide. The Lady Matadors went on an 18-4 scoring run and took the lead, 24-23, on a pair of free throws by Arlotto with 3:21 left in the half.

Pomona, which led at the half, 31-29, made 6 of 8 attempts from the line and had 5 more field goals.