THE COLLEGES / MIKE HISERMAN : Win Should End Whining Time

The streak mercifully has come to an end and, one hopes, so too will the incessant whining: Cal State Northridge has won a men’s basketball game.

In a stretch of futility that dated to last season, the Matadors had lost 13 in a row--getting gored by double-figure margins on 10 of those occasions--before Eastern Washington succumbed, 78-72, last Saturday at Matador Gym.

“This is the first time we’ve smiled after a game in a long time,” said Andre Chevalier, Northridge’s pint-sized point guard, after the Matadors’ first win since a 92-80 decision over Idaho State on Feb. 20, 1991.

Indeed. Northridge players previously had spent a majority of postgame sessions lamenting what they irrationally perceived as close calls.

Three particularly outlandish examples of such babble immediately come to mind.

After a 60-44 loss to Evansville on Nov. 25, a game in which Northridge shot 28.1%, senior forward Keith Gibbs opined, “We definitely should have beat them.”

Three weeks later, after a 66-45 loss at Boise State, it was reserve guard Brooklyn McLinn who opened mouth and inserted sneaker, saying, “We’re itching for a win. We are getting real close. You can feel it.”

Well, if not the rest of us, then at least Brooklyn--and perhaps a handful of equally deluded teammates--felt “it.”

Presumably, McLinn & Co. still were hyperventilating after having been down by the scant margin of three, 44-41, with only 7:33 left in the game.

The story was much the same the following night against Utah, ranked 10th at the time.

Northridge was down by four, 58-54, with 8:30 to go before crashing and burning in a 75-58 loss. After that defeat, center Percy Fisher explained: “We didn’t keep the intensity for the full 40 minutes. We’re a 35-minute club.”

More accurately, on that particular night, Utah was only an eight-minute club.

In fact, only twice has Northridge experienced what truly can be described as close calls.

Against Northern Arizona on Nov. 29, the Matadors lost, 74-71, on a last-second, three-point basket.

Five days later, Northridge held a six-point lead over Cal State Long Beach with 5:45 left only to lose, 76-67.

Those who would call any of the other games close--a six-point loss to Southern Illinois on Nov. 24 included--are stretching the imagination.

Northridge players might do well to follow the example set by their coach after the loss to Southern Illinois.

Asked whether his team’s comeback from 21 points down in the final 13:53 constituted a moral victory, Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy snapped, “We came here to get a victory. The hell with moral victory.”

Amen to that.

Looking ahead: Northridge’s win over Eastern Washington should not be the Matadors’ last this season. Upcoming are games against Fort Lewis (Colo.) College and Southern Connecticut State, both mediocre Division II teams.

Fort Lewis, which played at the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics level through last season, is 4-5. Southern Connecticut is 5-2.

Of major college teams remaining on Northridge’s schedule, Northern Arizona (in Flagstaff, Jan. 22), Northeastern Illinois (in Chicago, Jan. 25 and at home, Feb. 22) and Cal State Sacramento (at home, Jan. 31, and in Sacramento, Feb. 8) would seem most ripe for an ambush.

Northridge probably will need to win all seven of those games to match its 8-20 record of last season. Don’t bet on it.

Truth be told: Chevalier, the Northridge point guard, is true to his word.

After attempting only four shots in a loss against the University of San Diego, Chevalier said, “I should try to put it up more.”

Against Eastern Washington he did, resulting in a career-high 21 points. In the first half, Chevalier made four of five field-goal attempts. After intermission, he made another field goal plus 11 consecutive free throws.

In Northridge’s first 10 games, Chevalier scored in double figures once and averaged 6.8 points a game. Last season, he scored in double figures 16 times and averaged 9.8 points, third-best on the team.

Streak shooter: When he struggled from the free-throw line earlier this season, College of the Canyons center Jason Joynes repositioned himself a few steps to the right.

It might be time to move again.

Joynes’ string of 22 consecutive free throws was snapped last week and, going into tonight’s game at Oxnard, he has missed five of his past seven attempts.