Northridge Is Doubled Over

Halftime is not nap time, a lesson Cal State Northridge needs to learn.

Neither is overtime, which the Matadors figured out with no time to spare.

Double overtime? Previously uncharted territory that still needs work.

Northridge overcame late deficits in regulation and overtime only to fall short to Portland State, 93-90, in a second extra period Thursday night before a boisterous home crowd of 1,067.

Two free throws by Brian Heinle with 42 seconds left in the second overtime pulled Northridge to within 91-90, and Carl Holmes appeared to give the Matadors with possession with 16 seconds to play when he pried the ball loose from Brian Towne near halfcourt.

However, Andre Larry of Northridge fouled Derek Nesland in the scramble and Nesland made one of two free throws. Jason Crowe missed a running shot from the lane with five seconds left and Reggie Ball made a free throw one second later.

Crowe, who played his best game of the season in only his fourth start, couldn’t get a shot off in the last four seconds.

It was the second overtime loss in three Big Sky Conference games for Northridge (9-6, 1-2), which was blown out in an extra period by Northern Arizona on Saturday.

And it was the second game in a row that the Matadors blew a double-digit halftime lead. On Monday, Northridge regrouped in time to edge Idaho State on a last-second shot by Derrick Higgins, and again it was Higgins who provided buzzer-beating heroics.

The senior guard made a layup with one second left to give Northridge a 43-33 halftime lead and he blocked a shot with 0.9 seconds left to play to force overtime.

“We got ourselves in a hole again,” Coach Bobby Braswell said. “At least we showed some tenacity. But when it counted, we didn’t make the plays.”

Higgins scored 18 points and Crowe had 15 points and six assists.

Taplar Mvogo had 21 points for Portland State (9-3, 2-0).

Mvogo, a 6-7 forward, was one of several Viking big men who shredded the Northridge defense in the second half. Portland State’s best shooter, Jason Hartman and Towne, were cold but the layups Northridge gave away enable the Vikings to put up points.

Hartman, a senior from Thousand Oaks High, made five of 14 shots and scored 18 points before fouling out with 3:45 left in regulation.

Towne made two of 10 shots.

Crowe played especially well after changing from No. 14 to 33 after getting his jersey bloodied late in the first half.

However, his missed shot in the waning seconds of double overtime is the memory that lingers.

“I was feeling confident that I could make some plays,” Crowe said. “But I should have been more aggressive on that last shot. I should have at least drawn a foul.”

The crowd was by far the most vocal that Northridge has had at home, but the players responded only in spurts.

“We don’t play with fire for a full 40 minutes,” Crowe said.