San Diego Accepts Northridge Charity : College basketball: Toreros convert a school-record 18 consecutive free throws, rout visiting Matadors, 82-51 in final regular-season game.

Hank Egan rests easier this morning.

Four days ago, when the University of San Diego basketball coach picked up his Saturday newspaper and learned that Cal State Northridge had upset Cal State Long Beach, he choked on his coffee.

“I said, ‘Oh God. What have I done, scheduling this game at this time?’ ” Egan said. “This could have been a stopper for us.”

But it wasn’t. Not even close.

In a tuneup for the upcoming West Coast Conference tournament, San Diego routed Northridge, 82-51, Tuesday night at the USD Sports Center.

The Toreros were led by Gylan Dottin, who, in his final home appearance, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and scored 21 points, giving him 1,170 career points--eighth place on USD’s all-time list.

Dottin shared game-high scoring honors with teammate Joe Temple, but he also was the only San Diego player to miss a free throw.

The Toreros, who came in shooting 62.6% as a team, made 23 of 24 foul shots, including their first 18 in a row to set a school record.

“They were a relatively poor free throw-shooting team, we knew that going in,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said. “Tonight was an exception to the norm.”

In more ways than one.

Northridge followed one of the biggest victories in school history--an 81-78 overtime upset of Cal State Long Beach on Saturday--with its most lopsided loss of the season.

“It’s hard to get off that high,” Cassidy said. “You have great big wins like that, and you’d like to have your next game at home and against a team you can handle.”

Northridge, which concluded its third season as a Division I independent, was afforded no such luxury.

“We wanted the game bad, but it’s tough going from the high of beating Long Beach and then to come in here and lose like this,” Northridge guard Andre Chevalier said.

The Matadors displayed tough defense early, forcing seven Torero turnovers in the first eight minutes. The offense did not follow suit. Both teams went scoreless the first four minutes, and despite San Diego’s miscues, Northridge’s biggest lead was only three.

And that didn’t last long.

San Diego (13-13) scored 10 consecutive points midway through the first half and led, 31-22, at halftime.

The closest the Matadors came after that was a seven-point deficit early in the second half. San Diego, which shot 52% in the second half, responded with a 17-4 scoring run over a seven-minute span to take command, 50-30.

Northridge (10-17) was led by Chevalier and Chris Yard, who each scored 13 points. The Matadors shot only 37.8% and, needing only three three-point baskets to set a school single-season record, made only one of 12 shots from beyond the three-point line.

“How can we beat Long Beach and then . . . I just don’t understand,” guard Brooklyn McLinn said. “All this considered, it’s been a pretty good year. I just hate to go out like this.”