Matadors Never Had a Chance, 85-79

Hung over from a double-overtime loss two nights earlier, Cal State Northridge punched the clock Saturday night.

Predictably, the listless Matadors were punched out.

Eastern Washington, gleefully recognizing that its opponent was present in body but not spirit, glided past Northridge, 85-79, in a Big Sky Conference game.

The Matadors (9-7, 1-3 in conference play) had a chance to post their 10th victory earlier than in any season since 1981, but they never led, never rallied, never even seemed to care that they were stuck in Never Never Land.

“We had no emotion, no energy and I don’t have any answers,” Coach Bobby Braswell of Northridge said. “We are not a very good basketball team right now.”

Perhaps falling to Portland State in double overtime and to Northern Arizona in overtime in the last week took a grave emotional and physical toll.

Braswell, however, refused to seek excuses. He spent less than five minutes in the locker room with the team after the game and forbade the players from speaking to reporters.

Leadership is lacking among the Matadors. The only senior is Derrick Higgins, and although he scored a career-high 26 points, his low-key personality doesn’t lend itself to lifting a team out of doldrums.

Besides Higgins, who made 10 of 13 shots, Northridge shot 36% and made only half of its free throws.

Sophomore center Brian Heinle was the most effective player during nonconference games, but his role has lessened since Rico Harris returned from an injury two weeks ago. Heinle hasn’t started for three games and scored only two points in 13 minutes against Eastern Washington (5-8, 2-1).

Guard Greg Minor, who made nearly half of his three-point shots in the first 12 games, continued to slump, making one of eight shots in 23 minutes.

In contrast to the Matadors’ reticence, point guard Deon Williams of Eastern Washington took charge down the stretch. The junior from Verbum Dei High scored 25 points and made several free throws in the final minutes.

The Matadors used a nine-point run to pull to within 20-19 with six minutes left in the first half, the only time they trailed by one. A running shot at the buzzer by Williams gave the Eagles a 32-26 halftime lead and Northridge only once were closer than four in the second half.

“It’s an uphill battle, but there are a lot of games to be played,” Braswell said.

Matador Notes

TCI Communications will decide within a week whether to televise a Northridge home game against Northern Arizona on Feb. 6 in the East Valley. TCI is considering televising a high school game, a Valley College game and the Northridge game. . . . Jermar Welch’s free throw in the first half was his first point of the season. Welch, a sophomore forward, has played 20 minutes since becoming eligible Dec. 19. . . . Eian Daniels, a walk-on guard who played six minutes all season, quit the Northridge team and said he will transfer. . . . NBA scouts Dave Fehte of the San Antonio Spurs and Greg Marshall of the Miami Heat watched Northridge play Portland State on Thursday, spending most of their time evaluating forward Rico Harris of the Matadors and forward Jason Hartman of the Vikings.