Technical Foul Sparks Loyola’s Run Past Northridge

Ime Oduok scored only eight points and played only 18 minutes but managed to ignite Loyola Marymount to a 84-69 victory over Cal State Northridge in a nonconference basketball game Monday night before 1,289 spectators at Gersten Pavilion.

He didn’t make a spectacular dunk, block a shot, or even make a nifty pass.

Oduok, Loyola’s 6-foot-9 center, sparked the Lions by getting a technical foul.

The score was tied, 54-54, with 10:41 to play when Oduok was called for a charging foul for running over Ryan Martin of Northridge on a fast break.

Officials then slapped on the technical when Oduok stood over the Northridge guard, apparently taunting him. The technical was Oduok’s fifth personal foul.

Martin made the two foul shots, but Loyola rallied without their leading scorer and rebounder.

Northridge led the entire second half until Wyking Jones scored on a layup to give Loyola a 63-62 advantage with 7:11 left.

The basket marked the start of a 12-0 run in the span of a little more than three minutes.

“The technical foul had a major lift for us, as negative-looking as it was,” Loyola Coach John Olive said.

Martin’s foul shots after Oduok’s technical marked the last time Northridge visited the free-throw line.

Loyola converted 17 of 22 free throws in the final eight minutes.

“The game changed totally at that point,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said.

Loyola (8-4), which opens West Coast Conference play Friday at St. Mary’s, is 7-1 at home.

Northridge (3-9) is winless in seven games on the road.

Jones and Mike O’Quinn paced Loyola with 18 points each. Robin Kirksey added 16 and Jim Williamson had 10.

Eric Gray, a reserve forward, scored a career-high 18 points for Northridge, which shot a dismal 31.9%. Michael Dorsey scored 16 points and Robert Hill added 11.

Peter Micelli and Ryan Martin, two of Northridge’s top three scorers, combined for only six points and made one of 15 shots.