CSUN Tests Santa Barbara Before Losing

There were so many reasons, so many ways, Cal State Northridge might have expected to lose to UC Santa Barbara in the opening round of the Gaucho basketball classic.

Getting outscored, 26-11, at the free-throw line could not have been very high on the list.

Santa Barbara, which is expected to be among the top teams in the Big West Conference, dwarfed Northridge in both size and experience. Yet the Gauchos needed seven unanswered points in the last 1 minute 53 seconds to beat the Matadors, 67-60, Friday night in the Santa Barbara Events Center.

Paul Johnson, a 6-foot-6 senior, tied a Santa Barbara school record by making 17 of 18 free throws. The Gauchos missed only five of 31 free throws, while Northridge made only 11 of 20.

Santa Barbara, playing its opener, led by as many as eight in the first half, but Northridge somehow battled back despite many players in foul trouble.

A 15-foot jump shot by Brooklyn McLinn allowed the Matadors to catch the Gauchos, 60-60, with 3:08 remaining, but Santa Barbara scored on its next four possessions.

Johnson, who finished with a game-high 21 points, made a 15-foot baseline jump shot to give the Gauchos the lead with 1:53 left. Johnson then added a pair of free throws with 58 seconds to go.

Ray Kelly added two more free shots and Duane Carter made another in the final 37 seconds.

Anthony Moten, a 6-5 swingman, and James Morris, the Matadors’ starting shooting guard, both fouled out. Peter Micelli, Northridge’s 6-8 center, Chris Yard, a 6-6 forward, and point guard Andre Chevalier all finished with four fouls.

Micelli led Northridge (0-2) in scoring for the second consecutive game. He had 13 points. Yard added 12 and Chevalier had 11.

Moten and Yard each picked up his third foul in the first half. Even so, Northridge never trailed by more than eight points.

Led by some gritty inside play by Yard and Micelli, the Matadors took the lead for the first time, 47-46, on a 15-foot jump shot by Yard with 11:41 seconds left.

Northridge extended its advantage on a three-point play by Micelli with 10:16 remaining.

The Matadors held a four-point edge until less than six minutes remained in the game. A pair of free throws by Chevalier put Northridge up, 56-52, with 6:04 to go.

Johnson tied the score by rebounding his own miss for a basket, then making both ends of a one-plus-one free-throw situation with 5:26 left.

Northridge led for the last time, 58-57, on a bank shot by Micelli with 3:52 to go.

Santa Barbara will meet Stephen F. Austin (2-0) in tonight’s championship game at 8 p.m. Nathan Randle scored 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out four assists to lead the Lumberjacks to a 72-60 win over Eastern Washington (1-1) in Friday’s tournament opener.

Northridge will play Eastern Washington at 6.

Santa Barbara attempted 11 fewer field goals than Northridge in the first half, but still led, 37-32. The Gauchos shot 63.2%, making 12 of 19, while the Matadors made 11 of 30, 36.7%.