With Gathers Out, CS Northridge Outclassed, 94-79

After featuring the same starting lineup for the first nine games of the season, the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team has had three different lineups in the past three games.

And the results haven’t been satisfying for Coach Pete Cassidy.

On Friday night, the Matadors were without the services of leading scorer and rebounder Derrick Gathers, who was attending interim classes at CSUN, and they lost, 94-79, to Southern Utah State before 2,871 at The Centrum.

Despite the absence of Gathers and his averages of 20.4 points and 8.5 rebounds, Northridge trailed the Thunderbirds (6-7) by a 62-58 score with nine minutes and 48 seconds left.

But Peter Johnson, a 6-foot-3 reserve guard, keyed a 9-0 Southern Utah State run and the Matadors (4-8) never recovered.

Johnson scored seven of his 16 points during the surge, and his tomahawk jam with 8:05 left gave the Thunderbirds a 71-58 lead and sealed Northridge’s fourth loss in the past five games.

“We started missing those free throws and turning the ball over again, and suddenly they had a big lead,” Cassidy said. “We played well in spurts, but then our intensity dropped off.”

Junior guard Jemarl Baker, the only Northridge player to have started every game this season, scored a team-high 18 points. Freshman Bill Mazurie, who was starting in place of injured Eugene Humphrey for the second consecutive game, added 17.

Richard Barton, the Thunderbirds’ 6-9 center, scored 22 points, and forward William Allen and 5-8 point guard Kelvin Lee each added 16.

Although Northridge hit only 11 of 30 field-goal attempts (36.7%) in the first half and committed 17 turnovers, Southern Utah State led by only three points, 37-34, at intermission.

Trailing, 26-19, with 4:30 left in the half, Northridge went on a 11-0 run in the next 1:16 to take a 30-26 lead with 3:14 remaining.

Clutch free-throw shooting--something that Northridge has sorely lacked most of the season--powered the Matadors’ surge.

Percy Fisher hit two free throws to start the run, and Baker followed with a pair of free throws on a technical foul, and another two on a shooting foul.

After Wade Wyatt of Southern Utah State was called for charging, Erik Cooper scored on a layup off a Shanan Rosenberg assist, and Baker followed with a three-point play after Roger McDonald missed a shot for the Thunderbirds.

Baker had a team-high nine points for CSUN at halftime, and Barton led the Thunderbirds with 12 points.