CS Northridge Earns 1st Win in Style, 109-90

With a band of masquerading volleyball and football players cheering the team on, Cal State Northridge made history Saturday night. The Matadors won their first game since moving to NCAA Division I, and they did it decisively, 109-90, over Northern Arizona.

The Matador Gymnasium crowd of 600 was scant by Division I standards, but it bettered the season high of 1989-90, and there was no shortage of enthusiasm as the Northridge players embraced a legion of their fans after the final buzzer.

After three lopsided losses on the road, the home court was a welcome site for the CSUN players, 10 of whom are newcomers.

“I love it,” CSUN Coach Pete Cassidy said. “When you come back 0-3 from a road trip against good teams it is only natural for people to doubt themselves, but I don’t think our guys did that.”

Seven Northridge players scored in double figures, led by Todd Bowser with 17 points, David Keeter with 16 and David Swanson with 14.

“Now we know how to win,” said guard Keith Gibbs, who had 11 points and seven steals. “It’ll be easier now. Before, we weren’t sure if we knew how to win.”

Northridge ran off 15 consecutive points to open the game, including a steal and dunk by Gibbs, a steal and layup by Andre Chevalier, two three-point baskets by Kyle Kerlegan and a three-point basket by Keeter, who was weakened by the flu.

The Lumberjacks, who fell to 0-3, couldn’t handle the Matadors full-court zone press. In the first six minutes, the CSUN press forced seven turnovers. Northern Arizona committed 33 turnovers overall.

“Early on it hurt them and even in spurts throughout,” Cassidy said. “Our press won’t force turnovers every time down, but it is going to create chaos in spurts.”

Northern Arizona finally ended its drought with a follow shot by Steve Williams. Northridge pushed the lead to 20-2, but the Lumberjacks answered with their only run of the first half, an 8-0 spurt that made the score 20-10.

After a timeout, CSUN did a better job of getting back on defense and pushed the lead to 15 by halftime at 47-32.

“We were aware of their style of play, their three-point shooting and their up-tempo, but I had no idea we would collapse under that type of pressure,” Northern Arizona Coach Harold Merritt said.

In the second half, Northern Arizona scored seven consecutive points in a span of 35 seconds to pull within 14 points at 93-79, but that was the closest the Lumberjacks came.

“A lot of things were equal, size-wise and tempo-wise,” Bowser said. “This was one we felt we should have won. It was important that we came out in the second half like it was a zero-to-zero game.”

There were some spectacular plays, including those in a 10-second span when Swanson dunked from the baseline over a Lumberjack player and then took a pass off a steal and buried a 17-foot shot.

“We were all on a roll,” Swanson said. “We have so many good shooters. Of course, players do get cold but we have a lot of depth.”