CSUN Is Run Ragged in 1st Game of Season : College basketball: Four Stanford players reach double figures in 89-58 rout of Matadors.

In the words of Mike Montgomery, Stanford was “a little ragged” Friday night in its basketball opener against Cal State Northridge.

“Obviously,” the coach of the Cardinal added, “we have a lot of work to do in terms of polish.”

So where does that leave Northridge?

“With a lot of work to do, period,” Coach Pete Cassidy said.

Dion Cross scored a game-high 22 points, leading four Stanford players in double figures as the Cardinal routed the Matadors, 89-58, in the opening round of the Stanford Invitational.

The 31-point deficit tied for the third-worst defeat in the four years Northridge has played basketball on the NCAA Division I level.

Cross, a sophomore guard, made eight of nine field-goal attempts, including all four of his three-point tries. Stanford, which was 7-23 last season, shot 57% and forced 23 turnovers.

“We were dominated in every phase of the game, offensively, defensively and on the boards,” Cassidy said.

Stanford will meet San Jose State, a 98-87 winner over Gonzaga, for the tournament championship tonight at 8:30. Northridge will play in the consolation game at 6:30.

Northridge players, who had been talking about a possible postseason tournament berth, were as shellshocked after the game as they appeared to be during it.

“I expected way more out of this team,” point guard Andre Chevalier said. “I thought this was the best team since I’ve been at Northridge. Judging from tonight, I was mistaken.”

The Matadors were buried by halftime by a bigger and more physical Stanford team which thwarted penetration at one end while camping inside for easy shots at the other.

The performance of Todd Manley, a seldom-used reserve, was typical of the Cardinal. Manley, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound junior, scored all 10 of his points in the last four minutes of the first half without taking a shot from farther than five feet.

“Our inability to penetrate and dish to get the ball inside is a credit to their defense,” Cassidy said.

Brevin Knight, a 5-10 freshman from East Orange, N.J., set the tempo for the Cardinal by harassing Chevalier to distraction.

Northridge’s floor leader scored 11 points, but he passed for only one assist.

“They didn’t have anyone who, in terms of skills, we didn’t think we could handle,” Montgomery said.

Peter Micelli, who averaged 10.8 points a game last season, scored four. After pacing the Matadors with 39 points in two exhibition wins, he attempted only two shots.

“The first time I got the ball I was two feet past the three-point line and (Andy Poppink) was right in my face,” Micelli said. “I guess that’s something I have to get used to.”

In Northridge’s Division I era, the deficit is surpassed only by a 32-point loss to Brigham Young in 1991-92 and a 58-point defeat by New Mexico State in 1990-91.

“I don’t think we can play too much worse than we did tonight,” Chevalier said. “This was embarrassing.”

David Harbour, playing in his first game after surgery to reconstruct his right thumb, scored 14 points in 15 minutes for Stanford. Harbour, a former Camarillo High standout, had the thumb pulled off in a water-skiing accident in the summer of 1992.

Chris Yard led Northridge with 12 points. Tom Samson, a freshman forward, paced all rebounders with eight in 16 minutes.

“We have some work to do between now and tomorrow,” Cassidy said. “This is about as low as we can get. That’s good, because now we can only go up, right?”

Only his team can answer that question.