Matadors Reach a Milestone

Most trips to Hawaii are unforgettable, and it was certainly true for Cal State Northridge.

The Matadors defeated Coppin State, 75-59, Friday night at Stan Sheriff Center to win the PowerBar Invitational, Northridge’s first tournament victory in nine Division I seasons.

It also was the fourth consecutive victory for the Matadors (5-2), their second-longest Division I winning streak. Northridge won five in a row in 1992-93.

Brian Heinle, who was the tournament most valuable player, led Northridge for the second game in a row, scoring 19 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.

Heinle did most of his work in the first half, scoring 12 points during a 17-4 run that opened up a 26-14 lead.

Coppin State made only eight of 31 shots and did not get to the foul line in the first half.

Another 13-2 burst to begin the second half gave Northridge its biggest lead at 43-21. Jeffrey Parris had six of the points.

Although Coppin State (1-5) has struggled, the Eagles qualified for the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. Fred Warrick scored 15 points against Northridge.

“There really was never any doubt,” Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell said. “Nobody in that arena expected us to be playing for the championship. Our guys stepped up to the challenge. They wanted to win their first tournament.”

In a first-round game Thursday, Northridge overcame a 13-point halftime deficit and defeated Hawaii, 89-79, in front of 7,191. Northridge made 35.3% of its shots in the first half, but after intermission began working the ball inside to center Heinle and forward Rico Harris.

All of Heinle’s 19 points and all of Harris’ 17 came in the second half.

“I’ve never been involved in a game where a team just comes back in the second half like that, especially on the road,” Braswell said. “We were just a different team.”

Northridge had 8-0 and 11-0 runs and took its first lead with about seven minutes to play on a three-pointer by Harris. The Matadors made 66.7% of their shots in the second half, including five of eight three-pointers.

Greg Minor made four of six three-point shots for 12 points and Carl Holmes scored 11. Markus Carr had five assists.

Andre Larry scored only two against Hawaii but contributed 17 points against Coppin State. Harris did not play against Coppin State because of a hip pointer.