CSUN Gives Cal Poly a Three-Peat Performance, 104-66

Finally, they have done to others as others have been doing to them.

Buried by three-point baskets in a lopsided nonconference loss to Fresno State earlier in the week, Cal State Northridge turned the tables Saturday night in a 104-66 rout of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in an American West Conference game before 486 spectators at the Northridge Gym.

Northridge (6-16, 3-1) made 11 of 19 three-point shots, including its first seven in a row.

Eric Gray led the charge, sinking four three-pointers in the first 7 minutes 12 seconds on his way to 23 points. Shawn Stone added 15 points, making three of four from three-point range.

“He asked me after the game if he could shoot three-pointers now,” Northridge Coach Pete Cassidy said of Stone. “I’ve discouraged him very strongly from doing that.”

There was a reason for that. Prior to his outburst against Cal Poly, Stone missed all six of his three-point shots this season.

For Northridge, it was that kind of night.

“I couldn’t believe that first half,” Cassidy said. “I told my assistant coaches, ‘You know we can’t win this way. We can’t keep this up.’ ”

Well, Gray couldn’t. He missed his final three shots from three-point territory, but Ryan Martin picked up the slack. After Cal Poly cut a 20-point deficit to 60-49 with 13:49 left, Northridge, sparked by a pair of three-point baskets from Martin, answered with 13 consecutive points.

Northridge’s margin of victory was its biggest in more than six years, and the largest of its Division I era. The 104 points are the most for the Matadors in more than four years and are only five fewer than they accumulated in their previous two games.

Gray had 18 points in the first half--one shy of his previous career best.

“They started off in a zone, and that’s like an invitation,” Gray said. “I hit the first four (three-point shots) and they got out of the zone.”

Lucky Grundy was the only one of 11 Northridge players in uniform who did not score. He had two assists in five minutes. Martin came off the bench to score 16 points in 17 minutes.

Cal Poly (1-22, 0-5), which is winless in 13 games on the road, got 16 points from Damien Levesque--his 12th consecutive game in double figures.

David Dineen added 15 points.