Northridge Reaches a High With Fifth Win in a Row

Players elevating for dunks down the stretch. A program elevating to unprecedented heights.

And all at an elevation of 4,600 feet.

Trailing nearly the entire game, Cal State Northridge made its move when Brian Heinle and Derrick Higgins went skyward, defeating Southern Utah, 83-77, before 3,100 on Friday night in the first round of the Brigham Young tournament at the Marriott Center.

Northridge (6-2) won its fifth consecutive game, equaling its longest streak since joining Division I in 1990, and in doing so advanced to the final against BYU, a 76-68 winner over Louisiana Tech.

With 2:10 to play, Heinle passed to Higgins, crashed the key, took a return pass and dunked to give Northridge a 77-76 lead, its first since the opening minutes.

Kenyatta Clyde of Southern Utah made a free throw to tie the score, and on Northridge’s next possession the shot clock was at three when point guard Markus Carr tossed an alley-oop to Higgins, who dunked for a 79-77 lead.

“We worked on that play in practice [Thursday],” Higgins said. “We recognized their zone and executed it.”

Heinle, who had career-high totals of 23 points and 14 rebounds, fought two Southern Utah players for Thunderbird Jim Faulkner’s missed shot, and Carr was fouled with 24 seconds left.

Carr missed both free throws, but Jeff Parris batted the rebound from the hands of Tyson Hancock back to Carr.

Given another chance, Northridge delivered. Carr passed to Higgins, who was fouled. The senior made two free throws with 18 seconds left for an 81-77 lead, and he dunked with five seconds left to punctuate the victory.

“This was a gut-check game,” Coach Bobby Braswell said.

“We did not defend well for three-quarters of the game, but the guys picked it up when we needed it.”

Especially Higgins, who scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half.