Northridge Is True to Form in Defeat
As surely as day follows night, a Cal State Northridge loss follows a victory, and falling to Northern Arizona, 86-79, Friday night in a Big Sky tournament semifinal turned out the lights on the Matadors’ inconsistent season.
For the past two months, Northridge (12-16) went up and down with the precision of someone doing situps. Win one, lose one. For every positive action--such as the Matadors’ thrilling 104-98 victory over Eastern Washington on Thursday--there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This loss before 3,085 at the Walkup Skydome will allow ample time for Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell to reflect on a team that never gathered enough momentum to shake mediocrity.
“We had so many things going on with injuries and discipline problems, they were like birth pains,” Braswell said, “for something that could grow into something beautiful.”
The Lumberjacks (20-7) are the nation’s best three-point shooting team, but their three-footers beat Northridge.
Dan McClintock, a 7-foot, 255-pound sophomore reserve who averages 9.3 points, scored a total of 10 points in Northern Arizona’s pair of close regular-season victories over Northridge. But he dominated inside, scoring 18 points on seven-of-eight shooting.
His teammates also found holes in the Matador defense, and Northern Arizona finished with 16 layups or dunks. They also hit seven three-pointers, a combination too much for Northridge to match.
“I felt that if I got touches, I could score,” McClintock said. “Part of the game plan was to get the ball inside.”
Losing composure--a Northridge problem that flared up periodically all season--short-circuited any chance of mounting a late comeback. The Matadors pulled to within 69-60 with five minutes to play, but on Northern Arizona’s next possession forward Jeff Parris picked up his fifth foul and guard Greg Minor responded by gesturing to a Northern Arizona cheerleader and was assessed a technical.
The next time Northridge pulled to within nine, with 2:42 to play, Mike O’Quinn was hit with a technical, his fifth foul. O’Quinn, who set a tournament record with 39 points Thursday, scored 22.
The game was the last for four Matador seniors--O’Quinn, Kevin Taylor, Trenton Cross and Lucky Grundy. All but Grundy fouled out and the four Matador disqualifications set a tournament record.
Braswell yelled at the officials throughout the game, telling one as time expired, “That was a sorry effort.”
“Our guys were uneasy about how to play because of the amount and the way fouls were called,” Braswell said. “We lost composure and responded to people talking trash--fans, players and officials. We have to grow past that.”
Nine Matador players return next season, including freshman guard Carl Holmes, who led Northridge with 26 points. They can look to Northern Arizona’s example of consistency--the Lumberjacks are 13-1 at home and have won seven in a row.
