CSUN Sunk by Threes

Those threes the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo basketball players wear on the back of their warmup suits aren’t just for show.

They are a warning.

The Mustangs, who shoot 24 three-pointers a game, made 13 of 27 on Saturday night in a 97-84 American West Conference victory over Cal State Northridge before 338 at Matador Gym.

“It really takes the wind out of your sails,” Northridge forward Tom Samson said of the Mustangs’ three-pointers. “It’s just one more point than a regular basket, but it’s more than that. It’s psychological. It’s like a knockout blow.”

The Matadors (6-18, 2-3 in conference play) were behind virtually the entire game. They made several runs at the Mustangs (14-10, 5-0), but every one seemed to be snuffed out by a Cal Poly three-pointer.

Or several of them.

“The three-point shot is a back-breaker,” said Cal Poly’s Ben Larson, who made six of 10 from beyond the arc. “It’s hard for them. They chip away and then we hit a couple threes and they are right back down.”

Cal Poly’s Colin Bryant made five of 11 three-pointers and led all scorers with 23 points.

The Matadors were forced to put up their own three-pointers in an effort to come back. They made a respectable 36% (nine of 25) but it wasn’t enough because the Mustangs’ outside game opened up the middle for their inside game. Northridge could stop neither.

“They played a very good game,” said Northridge point guard Trenton Cross, who scored 18 points. “There wasn’t much room for error on our part.”

Senior forward Ruben Oronoz led the Matadors with 20 points. Eric Gray (14 points), Gerald Rhoden (11) and Samson (10) combined to give Northridge its second consecutive game with five double-figure scorers.

Northridge was in the game for the first 10 minutes, beating the Mustangs’ aggressive press early with long lob passes that turned into layups. But the pressure finally got to the Matadors, and several turnovers helped Cal Poly take a 51-42 halftime lead.