CSUN Beats Another Division II Opponent, 92-62

After surviving a scare from Division II Fort Lewis College two nights earlier, Cal State Northridge took Division II Southern Connecticut State seriously Thursday night.

The clearly motivated Matadors pounded the Owls, 92-62, before 678 at Matador Gymnasium.

It marked Northridge’s first back-to-back wins since Jan. 28, 1991, and was the third win in the past five games for the Matadors (3-12).

“We didn’t want to take another team for granted,” said senior captain Keith Gibbs, who scored a team-high 18 points, his fifth consecutive game in double figures.

Gibbs, who also grabbed six rebounds and had four assists and two steals, credited a defense that held the Owls (5-5) to 19 points in the first half.

The Matadors, who led by as many as 36 points (68-32) with nine minutes left, held Southern Connecticut to 38% shooting from the field.

Northridge shot 64% in the second half, including five of six attempts from three-point range.

Point guard Andre Chevalier scored six of his 15 points from beyond the three-point line and made seven assists.

Center Brian Kilian also was a key contributor with a career-high 12 points and a season-high eight rebounds.

“It’s hard to single out anybody, but Brian Kilian and Andre Chevalier, from my impression, were two of the major catalysts,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said.

For a change, Kilian was defending a player his own size, the Owls’ 6-foot-7 center, Terry Smith. Kilian and backup center Percy Fisher combined to limit Smith to four points and four rebounds.

The size advantage enabled Northridge to win the rebounding battle, 45-30, and was such that at one point Kilian missed consecutive shots, got his own rebounds and scored on his third try.

Fisher, who twice was whistled for goaltending, missed only one of seven field-goal attempts in posting a season-high 14 points and hauling down seven rebounds.

Freshman Ryan Martin broke out of a shooting slump, hitting all three of his shots from three-point range. He finished with 12 points, his second double-figure performance in the past 10 games.

“I had the open shot and I wasn’t thinking about it,” Martin said. “In the past, maybe I was thinking about it too much.”

Brooklyn McLinn also was on the mark. He missed only one shot, scored eight points and made a career-high six assists.

With 13:06 to play and Northridge leading, 59-28, Cassidy removed the starters.

At the outset, Northridge ran to a 12-4 lead and outscored the Owls, 20-7, in the last 5:37 of the first half to take a 38-19 lead.

It would have been larger, but the Matadors missed five put-backs, four layups and a dunk for 39% field-goal shooting. The free-throw shooting (58%) was equally abysmal.

As a shooter, Chevalier was an exception. The 6-foot sophomore from Cleveland High hit four of six shots, including a pair of three-point baskets.

According to Chevalier, the win reflects a new attitude. “The turning point was the Christmas break,” he said. “We’re looking at this as our second season.”