Northridge: No Solace in Coming Close
Cal State Northridge rallied to reduce a 21-point deficit to six points, but the Matadors ran out of time in a 73-67 nonconference loss to Southern Illinois Sunday afternoon.
A few in the crowd of 4,735 at SIU Arena saluted the Matadors with chants of “moral victory, Cal State,” but Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy would have none of it.
“We came here to win a ball game. . . . The hell with moral victory,” said Cassidy, whose team lost on the road by an average of 28.6 points last season.
The Matadors (0-2) committed 13 turnovers in the first half and missed eight free throws but trailed by only nine points because Southern Illinois (1-0) shot only 30% from the field.
Southern Illinois freshman Marcus Timmons sparked a 16-4 run after intermission with eight consecutive points.
Teammate Ashraf Amaya scored a game-high 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and drew four of CSUN’s post players into foul trouble.
James Morris and Ryan Martin led Northridge in scoring with 15 points each.
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