CSUN Enters Record Book, Loses Debut

The helter-skelter system Cal State Northridge copied from Paul Westhead went over about as well in the Matadors’ Division I debut as it has for Westhead’s 1-10 Denver Nuggets, who reside 35 miles southeast of here.

Northridge, despite making an NCAA-record 16 three-point baskets in a record 44 attempts, fell to Colorado, 113-89, before 3,519 Friday night at Coors Events Center.

It could have been worse.

Buffaloes Coach Joe Harrington sat down center Shaun Vandiver and guard Stevie Wise, the top two scorers in the Big Eight Conference last season, for most of the second half.

Vandiver, a 6-foot-10 senior, scored 27 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in 25 minutes. Wise scored 29 points, including four three-point baskets, in 27 minutes.

The closest CSUN came in the second half was within 11 at 61-50 after Kyle Kerlegan sank three three-point baskets in a 56-second span with 16 minutes 34 seconds remaining in the game.

Harrington, a former Cal State Long Beach coach, called a timeout and Kerlegan and the other CSUN starters came out. With Northridge’s second team on the floor, the Buffaloes reeled off 18 points in a row to take a 79-50 lead with 12:30 left.

“Yeah, I hit three threes but I asked to come out,” Kerlegan said. “Fatigue hurts. Who is to say I wouldn’t have missed the next four? I help the team as much as I can and when I’m fatigued I come out. I’d rather have someone with fresh legs come in than stay in and hurt the team.”

Kerlegan, who insisted the 5,345-foot altitude was not a factor, returned in time to hit two more three-point shots. He finished with a Coors Events Center record for three-point baskets (10) and three-point attempts (21), and fell just short of the NCAA records of 12 and 22 in those respective categories, set by Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler against Detroit in 1987.

The 6-foot-1 senior from Canada College in Redwood City, whose 145 three-point baskets last season were the most for any high school or college player, finished with 30 points.

By themselves, the Matadors broke the two-team Coors Event Center record for three-point attempts.

“I can’t say enough about their shooters,” Harrington said. “In the end we had more depth and we wore them down. We had more inside. That is the way it is when you are starting a (Division I) program.”

For the first four minutes, the Matadors’ offense worked to perfection. Northridge hit four of its first five shots, a game-opening three-point basket by David Keeter, a pair of three-point baskets by Kerlegan and a follow shot by Todd Bowser.

Before the Buffaloes realized what hit them, Northridge led, 13-4, with 16:53 remaining in the half.

At that point, CSUN Coach Pete Cassidy took out the weary starters for freshman point guard Andre Chevalier, Kirk Scott, the lone returnee from last season’s team, and junior college transfers Sean Davis, Brian Kilian and David Swanson.

Second-unit players did not have the hot hand of the first team, however. They missed four consecutive shots, including a dunk by Davis and three-point attempts by Davis and Chevalier that caught nothing but air.

With 13:59 remaining, Cassidy put the starters back in, but the lead was down to two and the momentum belonged to the Buffaloes, who built a 46-34 lead by halftime.

“We are still a very young team,” Cassidy said. “In our enthusiasm to get the job done in the half-court defense, we overextended ourselves. On the full-court defense, we expect them to beat the pressure initially, but we didn’t get back and recover.”

The Matadors were also hurt by a 59-51 rebounding disadvantage although Shelton Boykin, a transfer from Valley College, stood out with 11 rebounds in 24 minutes.

“I know I could have fought a little harder on the boards,” Kerlegan said. “I had some mental lapses when I didn’t block out.”

Another factor was the Matadors’ 37% shooting from the field.

Keith Gibbs, who was converted from wing to point guard three weeks ago when Eugene Humphrey quit the team, missed nine of 10 attempts, including four from three-point range.

“At this level, Division I, it is very, very difficult to make that transition,” Cassidy said. “He gives us all he has. He feels bad right now, but I’m not going to let him get down on himself.”

Although Gibbs’ shots were off, his playmaking skills were sharp, as his school-record 15 assists attest.

Keeter finished with 16 points for CSUN and David Swanson and freshman Martin Smith each scored 11.