Montana Puts End to Northridge Dream, 82-79

Perspective came painfully for Cal State Northridge basketball players, who never considered themselves underdogs and never thought about anything less than a trip to the NCAA tournament.

But in the wake of Saturday night’s 82-79 loss to Montana in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game in front of 2,390 at the Walkup Skydome, they grudgingly took solace in the fact that they had finally convinced the rest of the conference of their worth.

“No one expected little old Northridge to come this far,” Derrick Higgins said. “We fought and we fought and we got to the championship. . . . Now Northridge is on the map.”

On the map? Certainly.

On the way to the NCAA tournament? Almost.

The Matadors trailed for most of the first half and led for most of the second, but the game was close throughout.

They were playing well at both ends of the floor and led, 79-78, with 44 seconds to play when Montana center Bob Olson drove to the basket against Kevin Taylor.

Taylor smacked the ball back into Olson’s face, but also caught Olson’s arm for a foul. Olson hit both free throws to give the Grizzlies an 80-79 lead.

“I felt like it was a clean block myself,” Taylor said. “I got the ball and then after he released it our hands touched.”

Northridge’s attempt to regain the lead was stopped when Chris Spoja stripped the Matadors’ Keith Higgins driving toward the lane with 24 seconds on the clock. After the steal, the Grizzlies raced the ball downcourt and J.R. Camel hit a 10-foot jumper to increase the lead to 82-79 with 22 seconds left.

The Matadors got two off-balance three-point attempts from Trenton Cross in the final seconds, but neither came close to the basket.

The Matadors, who finished 14-15, with the most victories in any of their seven Division I seasons, shot 56.9% from the field and held Montana to 43.1%.

Northridge put three players on the seven-man all-tournament team: Cross, who was the most valuable player, and Derrick and Keith Higgins. Cross scored 21 points, 17 in the second half. Derrick Higgins had 18.

Northridge first-year Coach Bobby Braswell found it difficult to find much wrong with his team’s effort in the tournament.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these young men,” he said. “I love them dearly. They have done everything that I have asked them to.”

Northridge took its biggest lead, 59-51, at the 13:06 mark on Gerald Rhoden’s four-point play. Rhoden took a pass from under the Matador basket and hit a three-pointer from the top of key as he was fouled.

But Montana (21-10), which will make its fourth trip to the NCAA tournament, kept fighting back.

“You have to give them credit,” Braswell said. “They are an experienced club, a veteran club and they made plays and free throws and did what they had to do at the end of the game.”