Southern Utah Stops CSUN Win Streak at 3

After staying with Southern Utah for more than 25 minutes Saturday night, Cal State Northridge missed nine of 10 shots in a seven-minute span halfway through the second half and fell, 90-76, before 1,237 at Matador Gymnasium.

The loss ended Northridge’s winning streak at three games.

The Matadors (4-13) shot 35% in the second half after shooting 50%, including six three-point baskets in nine attempts, in the first half.

“I think all of us went cold at the same time,” Northridge point guard Andre Chevalier said.

In contrast, the Thunderbirds (11-4) hit 57% of their field-goal attempts and 23 of 24 free throws in the second half.

Davor Marcelic, a 6-foot-7 left-hander from Zadar, Croatia, led the charge with 36 points, 26 in the second half, including all 14 free throws.

Last season, Marcelic scored a career-high 43 points against the Matadors in a 115-98 Northridge loss at Cedar City.

“You don’t shut someone like him down,” Northridge guard Brooklyn McLinn said.

Northridge left-hander Keith Gibbs countered with a career-high 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting.

McLinn, a sophomore walk-on, added a career-high 17 points and Chevalier scored 16 points and had eight assists.

Chevalier played all 40 minutes because guard James Morris, the team’s third-leading scorer, was out of town because of a death in his family.

With the score tied, 41-41, at the outset of the second half, Gibbs and Marcelic heated up with Gibbs nailing two three-point baskets and an 18-foot jump shot and Marcelic hitting two three-point shots, a 12-foot jump shot and a layup.

Northridge went cold soon after and the Thunderbirds took command with a 7-1 parade at the free-throw line for a 68-59 lead with 8 minutes 16 seconds left. Five of the points were free throws, the other two came on a 14-foot jump shot by Marcelic.

While Southern Utah was pulling away, Northridge was limited to one field goal--a layup by Gibbs--and two free throws by Gibbs.

“I didn’t think we executed well at all,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said. “We didn’t work for it. We didn’t screen and make the cuts.”

The lead that Southern Utah built during the Northridge drought was not threatened although Northridge did pull within 78-71 with 1:14 left on a free throw by David Keeter and a basket by Gibbs after a scramble for the ball.

Northridge called time out, set up a press, then allowed Dana Achtzehn to score on a cherry pick layup.

On the Matadors’ next two possessions, Shelton Boykin, who has limited range, took two ill-advised outside shots.

“That’s not his (Shelton’s) strength,” Cassidy said.

Northridge was outrebounded, 24-10, in the first half and 47-28 overall.

“We were the living pits in rebounding,” Cassidy said. “They wanted the ball more.”

The Thunderbirds shot 31 free throws to the Matadors’ 10. “So, we’re the dirtiest team in L.A. at home,” Cassidy said sarcastically.

Marcelic, an 82% free-throw shooter, scored six points on free throws in the final 50 seconds.

“We didn’t want to foul him but we had to stop the clock and the ball ended up in his hands,” Gibbs said.

A bright spot for Northridge was the improved play of reserve forward John Moses who provided three timely blocked shots, two of which set up Northridge fast break layups, and three rebounds in 10 minutes of play.