Northridge Continues to Slide in CCAA Race : College basketball: Matadors fail to capitalize on UC Riverside errors in 80-77 loss to Highlanders.

The Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team exploited a weakness in the UC Riverside defense to the best of its ability Saturday night at Highlander Gym. But that wasn’t enough.

Derrick Gathers scored a game-high 27 points--putting on a clinic on how to run the back-door play--and Kendell McDaniels added 22, but the Matadors still lost to the Highlanders, 80-77.

The loss dropped Northridge (11-14, 6-6 in conference play) to fifth place in the CCAA standings with two games left. The Matadors trail third-place Cal State Los Angeles and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (both 7-5) by a game.

The top four teams qualify for the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. tournament at the end of the regular season.

“We played tough,” Gathers said. “And we had our chances at the end. But we just didn’t make the plays.”

Trailing by six points at halftime, Northridge narrowed the deficit to three points on four occasions in the last six minutes but could draw no closer.

Riverside (18-7, 8-4) left the door open for Northridge, missing several free throws--including the front end of two one-and-one opportunities in the final minute--but the Matadors failed to capitalize on the Highlanders’ mistakes.

After surrendering 27 points to Gathers in the first 35 minutes, Riverside finally shut him down in the crucial final five minutes. Before that, Gathers had hit a couple of long-range jump shots, but the majority of his baskets had come on layups after he had beaten the defender.

“We knew that they liked to overplay somewhat in the lane,” Gathers said. “And we tried to take advantage of that.”

Chris Ceballos, the older brother of All-Big West Conference forward Cedric Ceballos of Cal State Fullerton, scored 20 points for Riverside and Mike Ritter added 19--15 in the first half.

Trailing, 37-27, with five minutes left in the half, Northridge outscored the Highlanders, 8-2, to cut the deficit to 39-35 with 1 minute 47 seconds left on a pair of Eugene Humphrey free throws.

Kirk Scott started the Northridge run with two free throws and Gathers hit a jump shot and a short bank shot before Humphrey’s free throws.

Riverside countered with a 5-1 surge to lead, 42-36, at intermission.

Northridge shot 61% (14 of 23) from the field in the first half, led by Gathers, who scored 14 points on five-of-seven shooting.

Riverside was nearly as hot, making 15 of 26 attempts (58%).

Ritter was nearly perfect for the Highlanders, scoring his 15 points by hitting five of six field-goal attempts--including three of three from three-point range.

Ceballos, who scored 31 against Northridge last month, had 11 at halftime.

Gathers, who broke out of a five-game shooting slump against Cal Poly Pomona on Friday night, was sizzling in the first half again, hitting five of seven attempts and scoring 14 points.