Parris, Heinle Help Matadors Land on Feet

When Jeff Parris was informed he had tied a career best with 27 points in Cal State Northridge’s 84-70 victory over James Madison on Monday, he couldn’t believe it.

After all, the Matadors had flown across country and endured a six-hour layover in Cincinnati, arriving in their Harrisonburg hotel at 4 a.m. (EDT) on Sunday.

Parris didn’t expect much from the team, much less from himself.

But Parris’ effort, which matched his 27-point performance in an upset of UCLA on Nov. 21, and Brian Heinle’s 18 points sparked the Matadors before 3,953 at the Convocation Center.

Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell didn’t expect a pretty game, either.

Neither team could gain an advantage early, but the Matadors’ defense smothered James Madison, holding the Dukes scoreless for the first 4:05.

“We always tell our guys that our offense may not always be clicking,” Braswell said. “But there’s never an excuse not to play defense.”

Said Parris: “We wanted to put them in a hole early.”

Leading, 14-10, with 9:41 left in the first half, the Matadors (6-3) went on a 10-2 run that extended the lead to 24-12 after Parris sank two free throws. Parris made 10 of 20 field goals but only seven of 14 free throws.

James Madison (5-4) made a run late in the first half to cut its deficit to 40-30 at halftime.

“This was a big trip,” Braswell said. “The guys made the adjustment, but I thought we were very rusty.”

The rust showed as the Matadors missed several open shots and layups.

“We missed a lot of easy shots that we normally don’t miss,” Braswell said. “The thing that kept us in the game was our defense.”

Northridge forced James Madison into 21 turnovers. The Matadors’ man-to-man defense held the Dukes to 35% shooting, including four of 22 during a stretch in the first half.

Heinle contributed eight rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot, moving him within three of the school record of 66 set by Cliff Higgins from 1981-84.

John Burrell scored 12 points and Markus Carr added 10 and had six assists.

“I thought everybody was solid,” Braswell said.

Pat Mitchell, a sophomore, had 14 points and 15 rebounds for James Madison.