Northridge Loss Improves Bartow’s Record

Reeling from a 1-3 start, Coach Gene Bartow’s Alabama Birmingham team got well in a hurry against overmatched Cal State Northridge on Saturday, defeating the Matadors, 84-62, before 745 in the Northridge Gym.

Carlos Williams scored 30 points, Travis Harper 21 and Rod Willie 19 as the Blazers dealt Northridge (0-3) its most lopsided defeat at home in the five seasons the Matadors have played at the NCAA Division I level.

For the third consecutive game, Northridge shot only 35%, and for the second consecutive game the Matadors were led in scoring by Ryan Martin, a reserve guard.

“If you’re not getting second shots or shots inside, that’s fairly typical for a team that lives on the perimeter,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said of the Matadors’ shooting woes.

Martin scored 11 points. Eric Gray, another substitute, scored 10 points. Peter Micelli, Northridge’s 6-foot-8 center, also scored 10 points, although he made only three of 13 field-goal attempts.

Alabama Birmingham shot 49.2%, a more than acceptable mark since the Blazers also pulled in 18 offensive rebounds.

“Tonight we were more in sync,” said Bartow, whose club had lost to the College of Charleston, American University of Puerto Rico and Auburn. “We did what we needed to do defensively and overall looked more like a basketball team.”