Northridge Wins When St. Francis Shoots Duds

Cal State Northridge survived a bombing Tuesday night at the Matadome.

That is, the Matadors earned an 88-79 nonconference victory over a St. Francis College team that lives by the three-point shot.

This time, St. Francis died by it.

Northridge (6-3), opening a four-game homestand before an energetic crowd of 936, successfully guarded a precarious lead throughout a fast-paced second half, thanks to strong inside play by Brian Heinle, Hewitt Rolle and Andre Larry.

And dismal three-point shooting by St. Francis.

Heinle, the Matadors’ scoring leader this season, had 21 points, including three of four from three-point range and six free throws in as many attempts.

Rolle had 12 points and led the Matadors with 10 rebounds.

Larry delighted the crowd with five dunks, including a two-hander in the first half for which he was assessed a technical foul for hanging on the rim.

“We love showing off to a crowd,” Larry said. “It’s nice to come home and play in front of a crowd--a crowd that’s not against us.”

Larry’s highlight reel included a missed dunk in which the ball caromed skyward.

But his accuracy from above the rim was far better than the Terriers’ from long distance.

St. Francis (5-4) tried 29 three-point shots, connecting on 10. The Terriers were four of 12 from three-point range in the second half, including six consecutive misses.

Angel Santana, who had 23 points while playing every minute, made five of 12 three-pointers, with most of his shots from well beyond the perimeter.

But that only made for embarrassing misfires.

Still, St. Francis’ bombs-away style had the Matadors concerned.

“We knew they would shoot a lot of three-pointers,” Coach Bobby Braswell of Northridge said. “Whether or not they would make them. . . . “

Such is St. Francis’ style. The Terriers extended to 231 consecutive games a streak of making at least one three-point basket in a game.

“We don’t have much of an inside game,” Coach Ron Ganulin of St. Francis said. “I’ll bet we’ve shot more in a game. It’s always been the way we play.”

Northridge, coming off a two-game trip last week, survived a sluggish start shooting and emerged with a 48-42 halftime lead. The Matadors missed on several close shots, and Heinle and Denny Ogden failed to draw iron on jump shots on consecutive possessions.

The Matadors took control of a see-saw game with Larry’s two-handed dunk that gave them a 28-27 lead.

“We just wanted to come out and show that we can run with the best of them and dunk with the best of them,” Larry said.

Dan Read, averaging two points a game, displayed shooting touch with nine points, all in the first half.

Read, a 6-foot-10 center, even got into the three-point act, sinking his first from long range since high school.

“It’s nice to score, but that’s not really my role on this team,” Read said. “I was just open and I thought I could make it.”

Read’s three-pointer gave Northridge a 37-32 lead. In the final seconds, Carl Holmes dribbled the length of the floor and made a layup to give the Matadors a six-point lead at the half.

In the second half, Northridge extended the lead to eight points, but the Terriers stayed close.