Northridge Loses in Last Seconds

Cal State Northridge’s finest Division I season ended with its earliest exit from the Big Sky Conference tournament, as Montana State culminated blistering second-half shooting with an improbable basket to win, 91-90, Thursday night.

Jeff Riggs, a 5-foot-10 guard, made a five-foot fallaway shot from the baseline over Northridge’s Markus Carr with 1.4 seconds to play in a first-round game before 3,057 at Weber State’s Dee Event Center.

Northridge (17-12) had a chance to win when Brian Heinle threw the inbounds pass to Andre Larry at the top of the Matador key and Larry got off a shot that careened off the rim. Derrick Higgins nearly put it back as the buzzer sounded, but the ball rolled off.

Larry had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Higgins had 20 points and nine assists and Heinle had 20 points and four steals.

Northridge led by 22 points in the first half, but Montana State (16-12) shot 74% and scored 58 points in the second half.

Montana State, which advanced to play Weber State tonight, eliminated Northridge in the semifinals of last season’s tournament and the Matadors advanced to the title game in 1997, their first season in the Big Sky.

Portland State 80, Eastern Washington 74--Brian Towne led four Vikings in double figures with 25 points in a first-round victory.

Towne made nine of 12 shots, including seven of nine from three-point range. With Eastern Washington (10-17) focused on shutting down Jason Hartman, who finished with 23 points, Towne repeatedly found himself open from the perimeter. By the half, Towne had 19 of 40 points for Portland State (17-10), which plays Northern Arizona tonight.