THE COLLEGES : Cal Lutheran Women Clinging to Playoff Hopes

Two consecutive losses have put a damper on the Cal Lutheran women’s basketball team’s best start, but the Regals nonetheless tied the school record for consecutive victories when they won their first four games.

A 71-49 loss to Biola last Friday ended the streak and kept Cal Lutheran from virtually clinching a playoff berth.

A victory against Biola would have given Cal Lutheran the inside track for a National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 playoff berth, the school’s second in 28 years of women’s basketball competition.

Cal Lutheran, Biola and The Master’s are the only independent schools in District 3, and Cal Lutheran is 2-1 in competition against independents with one game remaining against The Master’s. If they finish as the top independent in the district, the Regals are almost certain to make the playoffs.

The CLU women’s team’s only other playoff appearance was in 1985-86 when the Regals compiled their only winning record and set a school record with four consecutive wins.

They finished 14-13 that year, and Coach Norm Chung is 85-144 in his nine years at Cal Lutheran.

Split sentiments: After taking over a Cal State Bakersfield women’s volleyball team that had gone winless in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. two seasons ago, Coach Dave Rubio is ecstatic with the team’s quick ascent to the elite among Southern California teams.

But last Friday, after Bakersfield upset third-ranked Cal State Northridge in the round of 16 in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division II playoffs, Rubio’s excitement was tinged with a dose of sadness.

As his team celebrated its three-game sweep of CSUN, Rubio met Lady Matador hitter Alissa Evans near midcourt. Evans, a senior, had played three seasons for Rubio while at Westlake High.

“Sorry,” he said as they embraced.

Rubio also had mixed emotions about defeating Coach Walt Ker in CSUN’s last match in Division II. Northridge will play at the Division I level next season.

Ker, who had led the Lady Matadors to 10 consecutive quarterfinal appearances, had been Rubio’s coach both at Granada Hills High and CSUN.

“I feel bad,” Rubio said. “Being such a good friend, I wanted to see (Ker) go out on top.”

Cold hand: Derrick Gathers is averaging 20 points a game for the Northridge basketball team after four games, but the Matadors’ senior guard has shot poorly since a 10-of-20, 26-point effort against College of St. Thomas (Minn.) in the opener.

Gathers, who shot 45.9% from the field and 42.1% from three-point range last season, has made only 38.3% (31 of 81) of his shots this season and he is 13 of 42 (31%) from three-point range.

In losses at Weber State (67-51) and Utah State (95-78) on Friday and Saturday, Gathers was a combined 14 of 40 (35%) from the field and four of 21 from three-point range.

Despite those statistics, Gathers remained calm about his slump.

“I’m just getting started,” he said after missing 14 of 22 shots against Utah State. “I’m just going to have to settle down. I’ve been forcing my shots.”

Tournament tough: The Moorpark women’s and men’s basketball teams had successful tournament ventures last week.

The women won the Cypress tournament, and the men finished second in their Moorpark tournament.

The men’s team (6-3) lost to San Jose City College, 84-76, in the final, and placed two guards, Sam Crawford and Roger Thomas, on the all-tournament team.

Tournament most valuable player Angie Long led Moorpark to its second championship of the season. Moorpark (7-1) earlier won the Long Beach tournament. Debra Rabin was selected to both all-tournament teams and was the most valuable player at Long Beach.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, John Ortega and Brendan Healey contributed to this notebook.