Improvement Comes Slowly for Northridge : College basketball: Turnovers prove costly to Matadors, who suffer another blowout loss in an opener.

Compared to the 24-point loss it absorbed in its Division I basketball debut a year ago, Cal State Northridge made progress in its opener Friday night. But the Matadors still lack the savvy to handle the tenacious man-to-man defense of experienced Division I teams.

In an 82-67 loss to Butler before 2,512 at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Northridge committed 27 turnovers.

Seven of those miscues came in the first six minutes of the second half when the Bulldogs pulled away.

After trailing by seven points, 38-31, at halftime, Northridge faded because of turnovers and poor shooting. The Matadors, who hit 41.2% of their shots, missed five of their first six attempts to start the second half.

“At halftime, we felt pretty good,” CSUN center Percy Fisher said. “The whole team felt we could win the game, but a couple (of) mental breakdowns cost us.”

While Northridge was throwing the ball away, committing traveling violations and offensive fouls, the cold-shooting Bulldogs found the mark and ran off 16 consecutive points for a 58-33 lead. “We decided at halftime that we had to put the defensive pressure on,” said Butler point guard Tim Bowen, a former Cleveland High standout. “Once we increased the lead, we got comfortable and our shots fell.”

Fisher, who fouled out, picked up his fourth foul in the late stretches of Butler’s 16-0 run and scored two points in 14 minutes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had an offensive foul until tonight,” said Fisher, who was whistled for three. “I have to be more careful.”

Butler increased its lead to 26 with 11 minutes remaining, but an 11-2 run by the Matadors in the game’s final 1:49 made the score a bit more respectable.

“The score was outrageous, so all we had left was trying to bring the score down and make it respectable,” said sophomore walk-on guard Brooklyn McLinn who scored five of his team-high 15 points in Northridge’s streak.

Midway through the second half, McLinn scored all of his other points in succession. His spree began with a layup off a pass from James Morris and ended with a three-point basket. In between, he made another three-point basket and an eight-foot jump shot.

“I just got a streak going,” said McLinn, who scored only four points in the entire 1989-90 season, the last time he played for the Matadors.

Butler’s tight defense didn’t allow Northridge much time to get off its shots and to put up many inside the key, but freshman Ryan Martin scored 13 points.

“His poise is very, very good for a freshman,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said.

Beginning with an over-and-back violation by point guard Andre Chevalier on the opening tip-off, CSUN was tentative and turnover-prone. In the first six minutes, the Matadors committed seven turnover, including two traveling violations, and took only three shots.

Fortunately for the Matadors, Butler couldn’t find the mark, either. Northridge caused some of those problems by blocking four shots in the first half.

Butler swingman Darin Archbold, the Midwestern Collegiate Conference most valuable player last season, missed eight of 13 shots in the first half, then connected on five of seven after intermission and finished with a team-high 28 points.

Matador notes

James Morris suffered a bruised left knee with 2:08 remaining and is questionable for Sunday’s game at Southern Illinois. . . . Shelton Boykin grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Brian Kilian--Fisher’s backup--had seven rebounds and three steals. . . . David Swanson did not play because of jet lag. The senior swingman, who had to take a test Thursday afternoon, left Los Angeles late Thursday and traveled all night.