Northridge’s Division II Nightmare Finally Ends

There were smiles and laughter around the Cal State Northridge basketball team Saturday night.

The Matadors beat a Division II team. Finally.

After losing to the Colorado School of Mines on Tuesday night, the Matadors got back on track by beating Colorado-Colorado Springs, 73-54, in a nonconference game before 558 at Matador Gym.

“You can’t have back-to-back Division II losses,” Northridge point guard Trenton Cross said of Colorado Springs (3-10).

The Matadors (4-9) finish their three-game string against Division II teams by facing Grand Canyon on Tuesday.

One of the keys for Northridge was the reemergence of forward Eric Gray. Gray, normally the team’s best shooter, had been in a horrible slump for most of the season, but he made three of five first-half shots, including two of four from three-point range, and finished with 13 points.

The game was a homecoming for Colorado Springs Coach Mark Felix, a former Matador player and assistant under Coach Pete Cassidy.