Cal State Northridge, accustomed to playing before...

Cal State Northridge, accustomed to playing before empty seats at the Matadome, finally enjoyed some crowd support during an 88-79 victory over St. Francis College of New York on Tuesday night.

Not only were the 936 in attendance a season high for a Matador home game, the crowd was vocal and responsive, taking its cues from a pep band that punctuated timeouts with blaring tunes.

Pretty impressive, considering the scenario--a nonconference opponent scheduled during winter break.

“I thought the band was phenomenal,” Coach Bobby Braswell said.

The decibel level grew to the point Braswell wasn’t forced to whisper.

“I was actually talking in the huddle and everyone in the gym didn’t hear what I was saying,” Braswell said.

As promised, Braswell orchestrated a grass-roots publicity campaign for the game. His wife, Penny, took the helm, enlisting the support of friends to distribute fliers at local stores.

“My wife had them at every mall, every supermarket,” Braswell said. “They talked to store managers and were allowed to put them in check-out lines. A Division I team shouldn’t have to do that. But if we have to, we’ll keep putting flyers out.”

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Northridge’s game Sunday against visiting Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has been rescheduled for 4 p.m. Tip-off originally was scheduled for 2.

Cal Poly defeated Northridge, 97-88, in overtime Dec. 4 at San Luis Obispo.