Northridge Stands Tall

Cal State Northridge bided its time and finally brushed aside pesky Montana, 79-67, in a Big Sky Conference game before 1,483 Saturday night at the Matadome.

In a tight game in which both teams forged significant leads, the Matadors--most prominently forward Andre Larry--were the ones hanging around at the end.

Larry’s emphatic two-handed dunk in the final seconds provided the exclamation point to a 14-4 Northridge run in the final four minutes that proved decisive.

Northridge (12-5, 4-2 in conference play) improved its home record to 8-0 and moved into sole possession of second place in the Big Sky, a half-game behind Eastern Washington and Portland State, tied at 4-1.

The Matadors predictably turned to their big men down the stretch. Jeff Parris scored nine of his 18 points in the final 10 minutes and Brian Heinle had 15 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.

“They’re more athletic than we are,” Montana Coach Don Holst said. “Parris, we had no answer for him. He sure is tough to guard.”

For the second consecutive game, Northridge Coach Bobby Braswell shuffled the starting lineup, replacing point guard Markus Carr with Craig Calloway and starting Heinle at center. Larry came off the bench.

Over time, everything gelled for Northridge.

“I’ve always said that starting in a basketball game is overrated,” Braswell said. “It’s who finishes the game and who takes advantage of the time they have.”

Heinle was among four Northridge players who scored in double figures. Larry, disciplined on Thursday against Montana State for arriving late to practice, had 16 points and seven rebounds.

Carr, whose demotion was intended as a wake-up call, appeared to get the message. After a scoreless first half, Carr finished with 14 points, including three three-point baskets.

“That was strictly a coach’s decision,” Braswell said. “I needed to get his attention about some things.”

Montana (7-9, 2-3) bolted to a 19-9 lead, thanks to a 9-0 run and three consecutive Northridge turnovers. The Matadors pulled to within 33-31 at the half but trailed again, 53-49, after Matt Williams of Montana made two free throws with 10 minutes to play.

Williams, the Big Sky’s scoring and rebounding leader, had 21 points and led the Grizzlies with nine rebounds.

Parris made a basket and free-throw to pull the Matadors to within one and Larry’s basket a minute later gave Northridge the lead for good, 54-53. With Northridge leading, 65-63, a free throw by Larry and consecutive inside baskets by Parris keyed the decisive surge.