VALLEY ROUNDUP

Chris Yard, Cal State Northridge’s leading scorer and top rebounder, will miss tonight’s game against St. Mary’s because of a cartilage tear in his right knee.

Yard, a 6-foot-6 forward, incurred the injury while going for a rebound about seven minutes into Northridge’s game Saturday against UC Irvine. He left the game but returned after trainers taped his knee. He finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Matadors to a 68-66 victory.

Yard, a senior from Las Vegas, is averaging 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. Shane O’Doherty, a 6-11 junior from Riverside, is expected to start tonight in Yard’s place.

Northridge practiced Monday morning before the team left by bus for Moraga, Calif., the site of tonight’s game. Neither Yard nor point guard Andre Chevalier participated in the workout.

Chevalier played against Irvine with a broken bone in his right hand. He is expected to start against St. Mary’s.

Yard did not make the trip north.

“Our feeling is that he should stay and take treatment,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said. “You don’t want to mess with knees. You don’t want to end up hurting it worse.”

The cartilage tear was discovered during a Monday morning examination by Dr. Eric Sletten, the Northridge team physician.