CS Northridge Beaten With a Timely Shot

After each practice, Dorian Manigo fine-tunes his shooting. A running three-point attempt, a shot in which he leaves the floor just beyond the top of the key, then releases as he glides above the free-throw line, is primary among his routine.

“My teammates always get on me,” Manigo said. “They say, ‘Why that shot?’ ”

Now they know.

Manigo’s hanging three-point shot at the buzzer gave Eastern Washington a 61-60 victory over Cal State Northridge on Saturday night in the third-place game of the Gaucho Classic at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center.

Brooklyn McLinn put the Matadors (0-3) ahead, 60-58, by making a fall-away, three-point shot with three seconds to play.

Eastern Washington called a timeout with the clock showing two seconds. Despite protests from Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy, an official added two more seconds. Manigo got his shot off just before the buzzer.

As the officials raised their hands to indicate Manigo’s three-pointer, Cassidy went into a rage.

“People tell me that the replay shows he took it from behind the line,” Cassidy said. “That takes care of that. But what about those mysterious two seconds?”